Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Valley
by DarkXVulcanJediKnightofEregion
Summary: There is a menace that threatens the peace of the newly formed Republic and only our favorite archeologist can help stop the threat that comes from the Lost Valley. crossover with Indiana Jones.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Indian Jones or any characters that come from that blessed trilogy, they belong to Steven Speilberg and George Lucas. I do not own any of the characters that come from the blessed Star Wars Trilogy; they belong to George Lucas. I do not own Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (from whence my main idea hath sprung), that belongs to George Lucas (do you get the feeling that George Lucas owns EVERYTHING?). Oh, and I do not own the idea of placing our favorite archeologist in that galaxy far, far away, that belongs to Freetrader (not George Lucas), whose brilliant crossover started this whole thing. And I do hope that he will finish the story that he began with that crossover, as I wish to know what happens. Anyways…on to the story:

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

STARWARS

Episode VII:

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Valley

Peace has finally come to the galaxy. After the valiant efforts of the rebellion and the return of the Jedi, the New Republic has begun to blossom and slowly reach to the edges of the galaxy.

But upon this hopeful scene, a new shadow falls. Rumor has it that a Sith Lord has slowly positioned himself to find the long lost Valley of the Jedi.

This Valley is a hidden world where the souls of all deceased Jedi come to dwell. The Valley holds great power: the raw essence of the Force.

If the Sith is able to find the Valley and take the power held with in, it will spell doom to the flourishing Republic and plunge the galaxy back into

Imperial War…

Chapter 1

Dreams, Visions, and the Perils of Adventuring

He was standing in a sun-scorched desert. The winds were fierce, kicking up blinding sand and grit, and they brought neither comfort nor refuge from the inferno raging above. The horizon was unending sand except at one point. The tall pyramids of Giza rose on his right, sitting majestically where the sky meets the sand. He was alone.

But he was not alone. "I want you to go here." He turned his head and looked at a nomad sitting on the sand in front of him. The nomad stood up and repeated itself, "I want you to go here. On the summer solstice, a man will come to this spot to find you. You must be here to meet him. Do whatever he asks of you. The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance. You must GO HERE!" The nomad thundered. "GO HERE!"

Indiana Jones jerked his head off of his desk. He opened bleary eyes and surveyed the pile of paper that surrounded him. "That's the last time I stay up all night grading exams." He mumbled. The archeologist stood, stretched and yawned, trying desperately to shake the effects of that very strange dream. He checked his watch and groaned. His next class started in ten minutes and he was a mess.

_I need a break from this_. It had been nearly two years since the Grail adventure and he had yet to be sent on any mission for anything and frankly he was bored. No, that was an understatement. He was dying to do something. Two years of teaching did have its positive side, though; he loved the kids that he taught. But it had also meant two years of papers, bureaucracy, and stagnation: boredom.

He thought back to his dream. _Well, a trip to Egypt wouldn't be so bad. Summer's almost here, and I do need a vacation. Maybe I can talk Marcus into letting me write it off as a fact-finding tour_…plans formed in Indiana's head as he walked to his class. _Yeah, a fact-finding tour…that'll work. Anything to get out of here_…

"There is a disturbance in the force." Luke Skywalker snapped opened his eyes to see the spectral image of his old mentor before him.

"Yes, Ben, I felt it. Do you know what it means?" The incorporeal Jedi flickered slightly as he answered.

"The Sith have re-arisen. Apparently Darth Sideous had an apprentice other than your father. I do no know who this new menace is, but I believe that your timely confrontation deprived him of his final training. He is not as powerful as a full Sith Lord could be."

"So, he's not so much of a threat?" Luke asked hopefully.

"No, he is even more of one. He is searching for the Valley of the Jedi." Luke's eyes widened.

"But I thought the Valley was a myth."

"Not a myth. It is real, and it holds power unimaginable. If this Sith can get inside the Valley…"  
"No one will be able to stop him." Luke finished. He sighed. "But how do I find it? How can HE find it?"

"There are clues scattered about the galaxy. Pieces of a puzzle that must be solved so that you can find the location of the Valley."

"How do I find them? I don't even know where to begin or what to look for."

"That is taken care of. I have enlisted the aid of a human on Earth. You need to go there, find him, and get him to help you find the Valley."

"Earth? That little planet on the fringe of the galaxy?"

"Careful, Luke, small planets can produce great changes. I foresee that it is time for Earth to make its mark on the galaxy."

Luke dropped his head. "You're right. I'll get Han to help me out. I think that we're gonna need a pirate in on this."

"Good lad. But move quickly, time is of the essence." Obi-Wan Kenobi flickered out, leaving Luke alone to formulate a plan. He sighed. _Better get to work_

"Come on, Marcus, term ends in two days." Indiana Jones was standing in the office of his good friend, Marcus Brody. He was turning on all his charm, trying desperately to convince the museum director to let him go to Egypt. "I've got all my papers scored and the grades turned in and then it's three months of nothing. Just let me go."

The older English gentleman shook his head. "Indiana, the last time you were in Egypt you were kidnapped, shot at, beaten, tortured, driven over, drowned, buried alive, nearly blown up, nearly poisoned, and very nearly killed by snakes, pirates, submarines, torpedoes, Nazis, and even God HIMSELF. What makes you think that this time will be different?"

Indiana laughed. "Simple, I'm going on a fact-finding tour. That's all. I can't very well cross old Hitler doing that. Besides, I got the Ark didn't I?"

Marcus sighed. _There is no stopping this man when he's like this_. "Oh, alright. You can go to Egypt when term ends. But please, PLEASE be careful. I couldn't stand to lose you." But Indiana didn't hear the last part. He was already whooping like a schoolboy over the prospect of three months in Egypt.

"Thanks Marcus. I'll send you a post card when I get there."

"Nope, nada, nuh-uh, not in a million years, no, No, NO!" Luke was sitting in Han Solo's favorite watering hole trying desperately to convince his roguish friend to come with him to Earth.

"Han, please, the fate of the gal..."

"OH NO, not that 'fate of the galaxy' bit. The last time you pulled that one out I was kidnapped, captured, shot at, beaten, tortured, poisoned, frozen, blinded, nearly blown up, nearly eaten, and very nearly killed by bounty hunters, weird snake things, that pit monster, Jabba the Hut, Storm Troopers, Ewoks, and that black helmeted dad of yours. AND my ship, my beautiful, wonderful, perfect, insanely fast Falcon, got beat up. AND all I got for my efforts was some stupid medal and a bump up in rank in a rebelling army that would have gotten me executed if we didn't win. There is no WAY that I am going off on another hair brained scheme of that old fossil you keep talking to just because the 'fate of the galaxy is at stake'."

"But Han, the fate of the galaxy was at stake. And we did save it. And you got a very handsome reward for finding Leah. And didn't you end up getting her too?"

"Well…I…but…humph. Why do I have the feeling that you're using that Jedi mind control thing on me?"

"I'm not. But I am trying to persuade you. I need your help, you know that. Please? Come on, it'll be fun."

"I remember you saying that too before we plunged into the Death Star full speed ahead." Han Solo sighed. "Oh, alright, you win. I'll come and save the galaxy AGAIN. Where are we headed?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Women, Falcons, Sphinxes, and Swastikas

"We can't use these." Luke and Han were sitting in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as she was prepped for launch. Han had just input the coordinates that Luke gave him into the onboard computer, when he had discovered a slight hitch in plans.

"What?" Luke turned.

"We can't use these."

"Why not?"

"Well, if I put this into the hyperdrive targeting computer, we would bail out of hyperspace and end up in the middle of Earth's Sun. And I don't think that we can save the galaxy if we're fried to a crisp."

"Hey, don't get mad at me. You said get coordinates. I got them"

"You got them alright. But these won't work."

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Oh, I don't know, GET OTHER ONES!"

"I can't. These are the only coordinates for Earth."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Han barked exasperatedly.

"Why not adjust them so that you don't end up in the sun?" Luke and Han turned. The very lovely Princess Leia was standing in the doorway to the cockpit decked out in navy blue jump suit.

Luke stood up. "Leia, what are you doing here?"

"Well I couldn't just let my two men go off to the edge of the galaxy with out me. Who knows what you could get into out there."

"Leigh, you can't come with us." Han said as he too stood up.

"Oh? And why not?"

"You could get hurt."

"Right, and what makes you think that you won't?"

"Because…um…it's just that… the edge of the galaxy is no place for a lady."

Luke dropped his head into his hands. _Here it comes._ Leia got that indignant look on her face and Han knew that what he just said had earned him the key to the doghouse for the rest of his life.

"Leia, please, I didn't mean it that way..."

"Oh really? Well then what did you mean?" The princess had a frosty tone to her voice.

"Only that…you…I…I don't want you to get hurt. That's all. If something happened out there…"

Leia softened just a bit. Luke seized the opportunity to change subjects and said "Leia, what did you say about changing the coordinates?"

"Oh, that." She turned her attention from her penitent boyfriend to her interrupting brother. "You don't change them; you adjust them. If you get R2 to adjust the coordinates by a thousandth of a degree, you will miss the sun entirely."

"That's brilliant. Can you go and get R2 working on that?"

"Only if I get to come along."

"Yes, sure, of course you can." Han tried desperately to redeem his standing with his sweetheart.

"Then I'll get right to work on it." She turned and breezed off the bridge. Han flopped back into his seat as Luke looked at him. "Nice save back there."

Han heaved a sigh of relief. "You too, Luke. Man, I owe you one for getting her off topic. She has gotten so touchy lately. I make one reference to her gender and she's off on a rampage. What is it with women?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. I have this feeling, though, that Sith Lords are easier to deal with than they are."

"Got that right."

The Millennium Falcon was very graceful in flight. All the dents, scrapes, scorch marks, blaster pocks, and missing paint had been lavishly fixed in the past two years. A new hyperdrive had been installed along with new computer circuitry and a few creature comforts, all expenses paid by the grateful New Republic bestowing her thanks on her favorite general. The ship was practically unrecognizable from the old hunk of junk that Han Solo had won off of Lando Calrisian so many years back. But it was still the same old Falcon that Han lived and died for.

She was now whipping through the great expanse of hyperspace carrying her Captain, a Jedi, a princess, a wookie, and two very familiar looking droids. The last two passengers were not very welcome in Han Solo's eyes. R2D2 was fine; the little guy had his talents, including saving the Falcon from a host of problems. But C3PO was another story.

"Did we have to bring that prig along?" Han quietly asked Luke in the cockpit.

"How else are we going to interpret anything on Earth?"

Han growled. He still didn't like the gold plated customs droid, no matter what Luke said. "Just as long as he stays away from the bridge I guess I'll be fine." Luke smiled. "Oh, by the way." Han continued. "Did Ben say anything about where we're supposed to meet this guy once we get to Earth?"

"Yeah, he said that we are to look for the biggest desert on the planet and land so that there will be three pyramids just on the eastern horizon."

"Oh, okay." Han paused, thinking.

"What's a pyramid?"

Indiana was riding a camel out of the city of Cairo making his way towards the Pyramids of Egypt. He smiled. Egypt always brought him fond memories of finding the lost Ark of the Covenant and being with Marion again, and not so fond memories of finding Nazis and being with the snakes in the Well of Souls. Indy shuddered.

He passed under the Sphinx and looked up at its nose-less face. _If I had time, my friend, I would go and find out what your secret really is_. It was June 21st, and though Indiana was not one to believe in dreams, he was very curious to find out just what would happen if he ventured into the desert today. _If someone does come for me, well, it'll sure beat having to sit in a classroom all day. And if nothing comes of it, then I'll have plenty of time to go sphinx hunting._ Indy laughed to himself. _Besides, it's not like someone will see me out here._ He rode out into the unforgiving Nairobi Desert unaware that someone DID see him.

"He has gone out into the desert, Herr Major." The lieutenant stood at attention to give his report to his field commander. The major sat underneath a relatively cool tent waiting a while before giving his orders. "Have the troops ready. Whatever Herr Jones is investigating may prove of interest to the Fuhrer. We shall not let Jones have his prize THIS time."

The lieutenant clipped his heels together. "Jahvolt, Major. Heil Hitler." The major returned the salute absentmindedly and watched the lieutenant fulfill his orders. "No, Dr. Jones." He said to no one in particular. "No, we will not let you have your prize."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dodging

Indiana stopped his camel and dismounted when he thought that his surroundings closely mirrored those that he saw in his dream. The Pyramids made three small triangular points on the horizon to his left. The sun was almost at its zenith and it beat down mercilessly on the archeologist. He looked around the barren hills of sand and wondered who in their right minds would be out here. W_ho indeed,_ he thought. _I'm out here. Wonder if that means that I'M not in my right mind…_ He scanned the hills again, only this time he spotted something very odd. A small plume of dust had arisen in the direction of the pyramids. _Looks like I'm not the only fool out here_. He hastily removed his supplies from the back of his mount and then swatted the camel on its way to the west. Indy trod carefully to the north and dumped his gear behind a very tall sand dune. The then returned, took off his desert garb and used it to erase his tracks, but was careful not to blot out the camel's. He returned to his hiding place behind the sand dune and waited, watching the dust cloud grow more prominent as it followed his trail. _I don't know why I'm being so paranoid. It could be nothing more than a group of tourists._ "Yeah, right," he muttered aloud. "Why would tourists be driving out HERE?" He thought back on his conversation with Marcus, and smiled to himself. "I must have found a way to cross Hitler after all."

The Falcon jerked out of hyperspace and into the inky blackness that surrounded the sun in Earth's system. Han looked out from the cockpit trying to orient where he was in relation to the system. The closest planet was huge, orange-brownish and had stunning rings around it.

"Hey Chewie!" he said, turning to his huge, hairy co-pilot. "Find out what planet that is." He pointed to the ringed giant. The Wookie punched some data in the navigational computer.

"Ahn whaun eeounnn."

"The FOURTH one in? Wow, we got in pretty close to target. Right, try to keep your eyes peeled for a small blue planet with one moon, should be the seventh inwards." Chewbacca diligently kept his eyes on the scanners, as Han continued to look out at the small system. The doors opened as Luke and Leia walked in.

"How close did we get?" Leia asked.

"Very." Han answered. "Your theory of adjusting the coordinates was brilliant. We just passed the fourth planet in the system. We should get into orbit…"

"OOOUUUWWWWNNNN. Auuuhnnn urmm!"

Han whipped around. "What do you mean 'asteroids'?"

Chewbacca pointed at the scanners and moaned again. Han groaned.

"What?" Luke asked

"Better strap yourself in, kid, we're gonna have to navigate through a mini asteroid field before getting to Earth." Han set the example by tightly buckling his harness in. He grabbed the controls while Luke and Leia took the back seats and did the same. The Falcon raced past the Giant fifth planet and dead ahead was the familiar glitter of an asteroid field. The bridge was filled with a deathly quiet quickly interrupted by the doors opening.

"General Solo. General Solo." C3PO shuffled into the cockpit; Han groaned inwardly. "I have some…" The protocol droid trailed off as he recognized what the Falcon was about to fly into. "Is that…? General Solo, may I remind you what ha…"

"NO!" Han barked. His patience was too thin to deal with the droid. "Don't remind me of ANYTHING! Now, either shut up or get off my bridge!"

"But General Solo, I need to tell you…" Han cut him off.

"NAH! Shut up or get out. Your choice, so make it." C3PO, now silent, remained. He positioned himself behind Luke's chair and clung to the back of it for dear life. Han turned back to the controls. "Here we go."

The Falcon swooped inwards, twisted and turned about the asteroids. The crisscross pattern of the space rocks was practically impossible to navigate through, but Han was a superb pilot and the field was relatively short. He dodged a few small asteroids, turned the ship around a bigger on and used the gravitational force from that turn to throw the Falcon free of the field. Han relaxed slightly, but all too soon. Just as they were passing the outer fringe of the field a loud, sharp clang was heard above them. The ship shook and reverberated but remained intact. Chewbacca moaned as everyone else breathed sighs of relief. The Millennium Falcon had survived another asteroid field. C3PO muttered something about "statistically impossible"; Leia lunged forward and hugged Han around the neck.

"Pretty nice piloting for a scruffy looking space pirate." Han grinned; he knew that he had been forgiven for his previous remarks. In a better mood, he turned to the droid and asked, "Now, what is it that you were going to tell me?"

"Only that the hyperdrive overheated."

"The hyperdrive WHAT!" Han roared. All previous good thoughts vanished as he bolted out of his chair and ran to his precious engines.

C3PO sighed an "Oh dear" and followed him off the bridge.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: yes, I stole the title from Stephen Speilburg's most excellent movie (oh look! Something that George Lucas does NOT own!). And I also copied the meeting place from Freetrader (still hoping that he will finish his story). I tried to come up with another place for our intrepid heroes to meet, but the Nairobi Desert is one of the biggest physical landmarks on the planet that is accessible by the Nazis. So, Freetrader, if you believe that I am ruthlessly stealing your ideas I offer my sincerest apologies. I promise I shall try not to do it anymore. But they are some absolutely smashing ideas and so worthy of plagiarism that I could not resist. I most humbly beg your pardon and request that if you can offer me some suggestions for another place to meet I shall most gladly change my setting. Now, to the story!

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Chapter 4

Close Encounters of the Doubled Kind

"I hate Nazis." Indiana was hiding behind a sand dune watching some half-dozen trucks filled with soldiers driving by beneath him. His plan to use the camel's tracks to lure his pursuers away was working, but that did not detract from the loathing that he felt towards them. _Hope that they don't find whomever it is I'm supposed to meet_. He risked lifting up his head to scan the horizon for any signs of life, outside the Nazis. He couldn't see anything, not even his camel. Indy was getting discouraged. _Maybe it was only a dream. I seriously doubt that anybody will come to find me while there are all these Nazis out here_. He looked up at the blinding sun over head. _Might as well wait 'til dark to start back. Maybe sending my camel off was a bad idea_. He took a small sip of water from his canteen and went back to watching the Nazis drive away. They had now gone over the dunes to the west and were no more than blobs on the horizon. Indy closed his eyes, setting himself for a long, hot day in the sand.

The bang woke him up. Not a bang, more like a huge CRRAAAACK, the kind one hears when lightning hits a little too close to home. Indy jerked his head off the sand and yanked his pistol out of its holster. The sun was almost to the horizon. _Dang, how long have I been asleep?_ The question lay unanswered as Indy realized exactly what had awakened him. A huge bank of clouds was moving towards him. The clouds slowly relinquished a big gray…thing. The thing slowly descended as three braces slowly extended from its underbelly. The braces touched the sandy desert floor and the thing came to a complete rest. Indy waited, watching this thing. He was unsure what it was, but he had a strange feeling that this was what he went into the desert to find. Indy slowly edged closer towards the thing. The more he stared at it the more he thought that it looked like a huge, flat blimp. He was close enough to touch it when a part of it began to move. A long piece of metal slowly unhinged itself from the rest of the ship. _Looks like a gangplank_. Indy quickly positioned himself behind it and listened to the tread of three sets of feet coming down. He was startled when they began to talk and shocked when he realized that he could understand what they were saying.

"Well, all I know is that there's no one here," one voice declared.

"But, Han, this is where Ben told us to go," a second, younger, voice replied.

"Yeah, and I'm beginning to wonder exactly why that crazy old man told us to come here." The one called Han grumbled.

"I told you, the fate..."

"…Of the galaxy is at stake. Yeah, I know." Han paused. "I don't see anyone or anything or any evidence that anyone has been here in a very long time." There was a groan that sounded like an angry bear was dying. Indy hugged closer to the underside of the gangplank.   
"Yeah, you said it, Chewie. This place looks way too much like Tatooine to be any good."

"Hey! I grew up there you know." The younger guy sounded very indignant.

"Don't remind me." A longer pause. "I don't think that anyone's coming out to meet us. Let's get out of here." The angry bear growled again.

"You smell what?" Indy drew his gun. _If that bear can smell me, I'm a goner._ Han started speaking a little louder and a lot more demandingly. "Alright, come on out where we can see you."

"Han don't yell. I think that that's the person we came to find." Indy was thinking along the same lines and slowly backed out of his hiding place. He carefully kept the gangplank between himself and the strangers as he stood up. The bottom of the ship was a little too low for him and he had to stoop to keep from banging his head. He inched his way around the side of the gangplank and came face to face with…himself. The double looked about as confused as Indy felt. They stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity until the angry bear growled yet again. Indy broke the staring contest with his doppelganger and started another one with the "bear". It was a tall, hairy, brown, shaggy…thing that looked a lot like a grizzly bear.

"Yes I know he looks like me," the double said.

"Excuse me. I look like YOU?" Indy asked. "I think you got it backwards."

"Look, pal, I don't have to…"

Luke cut him off. "Han we don't have time for this." He turned and looked at Indy before continuing. "I'm Luke Skywalker. My friend with no manners is Han Solo and that," he pointed at the bear, "is Chewbacca."

Indy slowly holstered his gun, and extended his empty hand. "I'm Indiana Jones. Why are you here? Why does he look like me?" He glanced at Han. "And what is…what did you call it?" he looked back at the grizzly bear.

"Chewbacca," Luke said, firmly grasping Indy's hand. "He's a Wookie. I have no idea why you and Han look the same. And we're here to find an archeologist."

"You found one." Indy was a little more at ease. Quickly adapting to any given situation was one of his strong suites. "Why do you need an archeologist?"

"Because we have to go 'save the fate of the galaxy'." Han cut in sarcastically.

Indy looked from him to Luke. "What?"

"I'll explain later. Can I ask you why you're out here?"

"Well, this is going to sound crazy, but I had a dream that some old nomad told me to come to this spot and wait for someone."

Luke looked almost excited. "What did this nomad look like?"

"Old. White hair and beard and he was wearing this ancient looking robe."

"Ben." Luke whispered to himself.

"Who?"

"Later. You're the guy we came to find. Will you come with us?"

Indy was instantly skeptical. "Why?"

"I told you, we need your help."

"For what?"

Han cut in again. "We need you to find a place that doesn't exist, on a planet that doesn't exist, to stop a very evil guy, who does exist, from taking over the New Republic, which just started existing."

Indy blinked. "What?"

Luke tried to explain. "We need you to find a set of ruins before someone else does so that we can keep the Republic from being plunged into war. Will you help?"

Indy thought that over. _Well, I did want to have another adventure. Oh heck why not?_ "Sure, I'll do all I can. Let me go get my gear." He turned and trudged back up the sandy dune to where he had left his supplies. Scooping up his coat, hat, whip, journal, and tools, he started to go back towards those very strange people when he froze. Off to the west there was a small plume of dust. _Crud. Not them again_. He bolted down the sand dune. "We gotta move. NOW."

Luke looked confused. "What? Why?"

"Because there are a whole bloody platoon of Nazis headed right towards us and if we want to get out of here alive we need to move NOW."

Han and Chewie immediately started moving up the gangplank. Luke stayed, still confused. "I don't understand. What are 'Notsies'?"

Han whipped around and barked, "Move it, kid. We're getting out of here, pronto. I have no idea what they are, but if he's freaked, I don't want to stick around to find out." Luke hesitated then followed Han. Indy came up last, and very cautiously at that. _What have I gotten myself into?_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Too Much Information

Princess Leia Organa had been very busy, and equally frustrated, since the moment the Millennium Falcon exited the asteroid field. First she had to stop Han from going into a bloody rampage about the fact that his ship was falling apart, again. Then she was "ordered" to go keep a look out for the planet so that Chewie could come help Han fix the hyperdrive. Then, when she found the planet, _she _was ordered to go fix the hyperdrive while Han landed the Falcon. Leia was trying her best to force all her anger and frustration down and be as helpful as she could. _The things I do for love_, had become her mantra during all this. But the crowning moment, when she wanted to bite Han's head off and spit down his throat, came after they had landed on the planet.

Things started out okay. The landing was a little rough, but after being with Han for so long, she had gotten used to it. Leia came out of the engine room to go help search for whomever they came to find. When she met Han, Luke, and Chewie in the landing bay, she was calm, even a little eager to go explore this strange planet at the rim of the galaxy. Luke saw her first.

"Hey, Leigh. How's the hyperdrive coming?"

"Pretty good, it should be up soon. The damage isn…"

Han but in, "if the hyperdrive isn't up yet, then what are you doing out here?" His tone was demanding, patronizing, aggravating, and Leia had had enough of it.

"I'm here to help you search," she tried to keep her tone as even as she could.

"We have all the help we need. Go back and work on the hyperdrive."

"Listen, buster, I'm not a member of your crew, I'm not your subordinate, and I'm sure not your slave. And there is no way that I'm about to take orders from an overbearing, critical, egotistical, selfish…pirate," she spit out. "Who the Sith died and made you Emperor?" Luke stepped back. _Oh no, here we go again._ But this time, Han didn't back down.

"Look, your Worship, if you want to get out of here anytime soon, you need to go back and finish fixing the hyperdrive." Leia bristled, but the screaming match that Luke was braced for didn't happen.

"Fine." She turned and walked away. Luke could feel the hatred surging through his sister and was utterly shocked that she didn't haul off and slug Han in the nose. _Force knows he deserves it. I should probably play peacemaker now…_

"Han, you shouldn't have said that. Leigh's right, you're really being a jerk."

"All I want is for her to just agree with me once in a while."

"But she does. She loves you, that's agreement enough. And just because you're angry doesn't mean that you can take it out on her."

"Sure, take her side." Han started getting sulky. Luke sighed.

"I'm not taking sides. I'm trying to keep you from hurting my sister and having her blast you to kingdom come." Han snorted. "You need to go and apologize."

"Later. Let's go out there so I can prove that this is all a wild goose chase." Luke knew that it was foolish to pursue the subject any longer. Han knew what he had to do; he just needed some time to mull everything over. And having something new to think about would help him work out his problems faster. Luke went along with the change in topic, while Han opened the landing bay.

"It's not a wild goose chase. Someone is here and we have to find him."

"Well, all I know is that there's no one here." He said as he walked out.

Their voices faded into the outside. Leia slid down the bulkhead, she was so confused. Han was angry at something. _Is it me?_ She anxiously thought over everything she said and did in the last few days. _There was that blow up before we left, but I thought that Han was over that…_ thoughts raged in her head. She tried to sort them out, but nothing made sense. _If he loves me like he says, why is he acting this way? Why won't he tell me what's wrong?_ She smiled, remembering at Luke's intervention. _At least my brother loves me._ She sat there for a few more minutes before she got up. _Well, maybe I can patch things over with Han if I can fix that stupid hyperdrive. Better go find R2._

The hyperdrive wasn't all that hard to fix. R2, after "talking" with the onboard computer, told Leia exactly what was wrong. Apparently, a single cable had popped loose when the jumped out of hyperspace, easy to fix. The problem was locating it amongst the jumbled mess that made up the engine room and then putting it back in it's proper place. Leia, with R2's much needed assistance, had just fixed the thing when she heard voices emanating from the living area. _Sounds like Han and Luke are back_. She extracted herself from the wires tangled about her arms, wiped the grease off of her hands, and went out to make up with Han.

There was only one problem: there was two of him.

Indy followed his new companions through the landing bay and into a…_I guess it's a living room._ Benches were bolted to the walls, a few tables sat in front of them, and there was a mess of tools, tablets, plates, and other debris that screamed of human occupation. Luke flopped down on one of the benches. He still looked a little confused about why they were leaving so soon. Indy glanced around the room, half-smiling. _Looks like my office_.

"You didn't answer my question." Indy blinked.

"Hmm?"

"I said you didn't answer my question. What are Notsies?" Luke didn't have Han's sense of foreboding. If they were going to run off this planet, he wanted to know. Han paused in the doorway; he too wanted to know what they were running from. Indy sighed slightly.   
"Nazis are a sadistic, racist, power hungry group of fascists who are bent on taking over the world. They follow a crazy egotistical totalitarian dictator who's murdered thousands and is obsessed with the occult and the supernatural. They have practically unlimited resources and no one wants to stop them because it would mean another war, but if we don't, we risk falling under their government. I've run into them a couple of times; they're bad news, make no mistake. If they find out who and what you are, well, let's just say that it won't be pleasant." Luke and Han exchanged glances. Chewie growled.

"No kidding." Han muttered  
"What'd he say?"

"That those guys sound like Storm Troopers."

"Who are they?"

"Basically, Nazis in space."

"Storm Troopers had control of the Galactic Republic for the twenty some years," Luke explained. "We finally got rid of them about four years ago."

"How?"

"War." Han answered simply. "There are times when you just need to shoot some people." Indy was about to answer when a door on his right opened. Standing in the doorway was probably the most beautiful woman that Indy had ever laid eyes on. She had Elsa Schneider's impossibly good looks and an air about her that made Indy think longingly of Marion. She paused and stared from Indy to Han and back again before turning to Luke. She didn't even have to ask the question.

"Leigh, this is Indiana Jones. He's the archeologist that Ben told me to find. Indiana, this is my sister, Leia Organa." Indy walked forward and offered his hand to Leia.

"Nice to meet you." Leia looked down at his hand, up at his face, over at Han, and then back to Luke.

"Is there a reason why they look the same?"

Luke shrugged, "Honestly, I have no clue." Leia looked back at Indy, who had dropped his hand.

"Welcome to the Millennium Falcon, Indiana Jones," she said as diplomatically as she could.

"Thanks, and it's 'Indy'." His face broke into a roguish grin, making look more like Han than ever. He turned slightly to Luke, "So, you gonna tell me why you need an archeologist?"

"Later," Han answered. "Right now we need to get off this rock."

Leia's head snapped around. "Why?"

"We got get out of here before the Nazis show up." Han left to go to the bridge, Chewie right on his heels.

"What are Nazis?" Leia asked.

"Think Storm Troopers, only on a smaller scale."

Leia turned to Indy; "they got here too?" Indy was about to answer when Han came back in.

"Leia, you get the hyperdrive back online?"

That one question reminded Leia instantly of the fight and her feelings. The fact that Han asked it so coolly screamed to her that he either didn't remember or he didn't care. A tide of anger and bitterness rose within her and spilled over into one word:

"Yes." It was cold, calm, and completely conveyed how she felt.

"Good." Han returned to the bridge. The effect of Leia's words were utterly lost on him, but understood by Indiana. He had had those emotions aimed at him far many times to not know that something serious was going on. There was a moment's silence as Leia swallowed down her anger before she addressed Indy.

"Come on, I'll show you were you can put your stuff."

Half an hour later, the Falcon was in orbit, safely out of the reach of the Nazis. Indy had been impressed at how smoothly take off went; he had been in airplanes that were rougher. In fact, he had not even noticed that they were no longer on Earth until he looked out his cabin's window. Space was beautiful. Not even on the darkest, clearest desert nights were the stars this bright. It was like he could just reach out and touch them, capture those white jewels and hold them in his hand. It was silent, peaceful, and stunning. Indy stared out that window, utterly mesmerized by the sight until Luke walked in. Indy jerked around, startled.

"Sorry for barging in," Luke said sheepishly. "I knocked, but you didn't answer."

"I guess I wasn't listening." Indy looked back out the window. "I've never seen them like this before." Luke came up to stand next to them.

"What, the stars?"

"Yeah."

"Haven't you ever been up in space before?" Indy turned.

"No. We haven't even gotten past our atmosphere."

"No wonder no one pays attention what happens out here." Luke grinned. "Come on, I need to tell you exactly what we need." Indy ripped himself from the window to follow Luke out to the living area. Han, Chewie, and Leia were already there along with two very strange things. One was gold, human looking, but metallic. The other one looked like a blue and white trashcan with a lot of buttons on it. Luke saw his guest staring, gestured at the metal things and said, "These are CP3O and R2D2, my droids."

"What are droids?"

"Artificial intelligence, androids."

Han added, "basically walking computers."

"What's a computer?"

"You don't know what a computer is?"

"No. That's why I'm asking." Indy was getting a little testy. He didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"Think of a computer as an artificial intelligence." Leia said diplomatically. She could sense that Indy was very uncomfortable. "It's an extension of the sentient mind. A droid is just a sentient, artificial mind in an artificial body. A man-made man." She saw that her definition hit home; Indy quickly realized the concept and decided that it would be best to move on.

"Right. So, what exactly do you need a computer-less archeologist from a planet no one cares about for?"

Han grinned as everyone moved to sit down on a bench that was not covered in junk. _This guy isn't all bad. I may end up liking him._ Luke remained standing and began to recount what Ben had told him.

"This could take some time to explain, but I want everyone to hear it so that we all know what we're about to get into. So, please feel free to stop me if you don't understand something. History first: I belong to an ancient order known as the Jedi. Since before the old Republic began, the Jedi have existed to protect the interests of peace and keep the galaxy in balance. An offshoot of the Jedi developed who were devoted to one and only one purpose: gaining absolute power over every living thing. This offshoot was named Sith and for a very, very long time the Jedi and the Sith were at war with each other. The Jedi have a legend as old as the order itself that when a Jedi dies, his or her spirit goes to join the collective of the Force in…"

"The what?" Indy interrupted.

"The Force. It is an energy field created by all living things. It's within and around all tangible objects and the Jedi use it to uphold peace. When Jedi die, they become part of the Force, thus helping other Jedi gain control of it. The legend is that there is a place in the galaxy where the Force is tangible. If anyone enters that place, they become a focal point for the raw power of the Force and have absolute mastery over all things. When the original Jedi discovered this place, they hid it on a planet that no one could find so that no one could have access to that kind of power. They made one map to find the planet and split it into several pieces, each Jedi taking a piece of the map and hiding it in the galaxy. The planet was soon referred to as the Lost Valley of the Jedi." Luke paused, giving the others time to catch up.

"Okay…" Indy said. "So I'm guessing that you came to get me so that I can help you find this place, right?" Luke nodded. "Right, so my question is, if these Jedi guys wanted it hidden, why do you want to find it?"

"There is a Sith Lord who is also trying to find the Lost Valley. We have to find it before he does or he could use the power there to take over the galaxy."

Han muttered, "fate of the galaxy…"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I stole this title from the company that bears the same name. People use the word as a verb so much that I hope it shall be added to the Dictionary so that I can use it at my will. But until then…PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!

A/N 2: So terribly sorry for the lack of updates. I HATE EXAMS!

Chapter 6

Googeling

"So, what do we do first?" Indy had listened to Luke's spiel with quiet suspicion. The whole-living-energy-field-thing was utter nonsense in his eyes, but an ancient puzzle had sparked his interest considerably. Indy couldn't resist a challenge, and this sounded about as challenging as finding the Grail, even more so. He wanted to get right to work. Unfortunately, his question was met with blank stares.

"Well, we came to find you so that you could answer that question." Luke looked a little sheepish.

"Are you saying that you have no idea where to start?" Indy was a little shocked.

"Um…"

"We don't have a clue," Han admitted. "You're the expert, you figure it out."

Indy sighed; it was going to be a very long day. "You can't just jump right into an archeological puzzle and expect to find what you're looking for. Shoddy information gets people killed. I can't find anything if I don't know what to look for. Please don't tell me that you came half way across the galaxy without ANY information to give me other than legends."

"We didn't," Luke protested. "I downloaded everything that I could find on the Valley. But there's a lot of information. It could take us a while to sift through." Indy didn't like the sound of that. He stood and paced about the room.

"Is there anyway for your computer to quickly cross check it?" He finally asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if a computer is an artificial human brain, then you should be able to send all that information through it. Have the computer look for specific phrases and the frequency that a phrase is used within an article. The more references the computer gives to a certain article, the better the chances are that that will be of use."

Luke stared at the archeologist. "For a guy who has never even heard of a computer, you sure have good ideas on how to use one."

Leia jumped on the bandwagon. "What kind of phrases do we search for?"

"I don't know." Indy started pacing again. "But they have to be specific. If we search, for instance, for the words 'Valley of the Jedi', then the chances are that we'll get too much information. Think of exact things that would be helpful."

"Aurrrr iiiinnooooouuug ur." Chewie moaned after a while.

"What did he say?" Indy asked Han.

"He said we should search for sets of coordinates."

"But if the Valley is supposed to be a secret," Leia brought up, "why would someone list coordinates for it's location?"

"Hey, it's worth a shot." Han protested.

"R2," Luke said. "Plug into the ship's computer and isolate the files I brought on the Valley." The little blue droid rolled over to a terminal hub in the room. He extended the information nodule and plugged it into the computer. The terminal whirred softly as a thousand files flashed across the screen. R2 beeped disconsolately. Nothing.

Indy started pacing again. "I really don't know what to look for. What I need is a concise history of this legend."

"Then let's start with that," Leia said. "R2, search the records again. Look for a complete history of the Valley." The droid sifted through the data and beeped when he was done: four-hundred-thirty-seven hits. "That's too much. Look for a concise history." R2 went through it again: eight hits. "Much better." She looked at Indy. "Now what?"

"Everyone take an article, read it and write down the gist of it. Include any details: names, places, facts, and anything else that catches your interest. We'll meet back here in an hour and compare notes." Heads nodded. R2 sent the data to separate terminals and the crew set to work.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Aren't I nice, two chaps in one day!

A/N 2: I took the following from the movie National Treasure. It was so totally awesome that its plot infects every mystery that I write. PLEASE DON'T SUE ME OVER THIS EITHER! Oh, and sorry for the incredibly short chapter last time. They'll get longer I promise!

Chapter 7

A Short History for a Long Hunt

An hour practically flew by, but it brought results. "Okay, what do you got?" Indy asked when everyone had gathered. Leia started.

"Basically what Luke said, but I did get more of the history. Umm…" she flipped back through her notes. "Right, the Valley was originally discovered by a Jedi named Corban Beth-Shiloh. He was a member of the first council of the Jedi. He made two maps: one to mark the planet and one two mark the place on the planet, and then returned to the council to report what he had found. The council sent Corban back with three other Master Jedi…I didn't find those names."

"I did," Han broke in. "Duo and Katra Arkos, they were twins, and Maceina Kaltor." Attention shifted to him, and he continued the history. "The stuff I got says that the four of them figured out the potential that the Valley had. They decided that this place was way too powerful to be unprotected. Somehow they cloaked the entire planet and then coded the two maps, that's all I got."

"oorrrgun heenakaaaaah eeeoooorrrrnnnn."

"Oh, right, forgot about that. They also surrounded the entrance to the Valley with a hell of a lot of booby traps and then made a third map of how to navigate through them. Each of them took a map, except for Corban he got the code. They went by different ships back to the council."

Luke jumped in, "The council approved all that they did and then divided up the maps and the code and returned the pieces to the four of them with instructions to hide the pieces. Maceina had the idea to attach clues to each piece that would lead to the next one and so on."

"Why?" Indy asked. So far all this information was lockstep with the stuff that he had gotten. But Maceina's idea was something new.

"So that if anyone ever needed to find the Valley after they were gone they could, I guess. It would just be difficult. The council was able to keep the whole discovery a secret. But when that generation of Jedi died, word got out."

CP3O spoke for the first time. "I believe I have the last bit of information. Master Arkos was the last of the original four to die. He gave his former apprentice a small chip of stone and said, I quote, 'This is the first step on the road to power.' He passed away later that night. The chip was placed in the Archives of the Jedi temple on Corescant."

"Great." Han sighed sarcastically. "Well, we might as well go home now."

"What?" Indy looked up. "Why?"

"Corescant was the seat for the Empire when it was in power." Leia said sadly. "During the former Emperor's rise, the Jedi Temple was ransacked and most of the stuff inside was destroyed."

"We have to at least try to find it. Without that first piece, there's no where to start."

Han stood up. "That sounds like a request to get us to Corescant." Chewie followed him out to the cockpit. Indy looked quickly over his notes. The brief history had fallen in line with the information that he had gathered. He now had an idea of where to start. He turned to Luke.

"Time to start a new search."

"Why? We know where the first piece is."

"But what if it isn't there? We need to have a backup plan."

"What do you suggest?" Leia asked. Having been with Luke and Han long enough to learn that Plan A never worked, she was almost always the person to come up with Plan B. Having someone else to suggest it was a welcome break. _I'm starting to like this Indiana Jones._

"Let's start by getting as much information as we can on the four Jedi who originally found the place. Search for home worlds, favorite, I dunno, vacation spots, places that had meaning for them."

"I don't get it," Luke said. "Why would they hide their pieces in places like that?"

"Think about it. If you had something of great value, where would you hide it? In your house or in a stranger's?"

"Mine, I guess"

"Why?"

"Because I would have access to it on a regular basis and know…where to hide it." Revelation dawned on his face.

"Exactly. When I go on archeological digs, the most valuable stuff is deep within places that where restricted to just a few people. Or they are intricately hidden in the most ordinary places. If we look for planets that these guys visited on a regular basis, then it'll be easier to figure out the clues…" _If we find any_. Indy was very skeptical about finding one chip of stone…an idea popped into his head.

"Also, search for any information on this stone chip we're supposed to find. Color, texture, shape, how big it is, what it's made of, stuff like that."

Luke agreed, "So we know what to look for."

"And so if we don't find it," Leia added, "We could guess about what it's supposed to lead us to."

"Okay," Indy said. "Luke, you take the Arkos twins. Leia research Maceina. I'll do Corban. R2 and 3PO, you get all the info you can on this rock."

Two hours later, Luke had done so much research that he felt his head was about to explode. He never knew how many planets the ancient Jedi visited on a regular basis. _I guess that when you're the only peacekeepers in the galaxy, you're on the move a lot_. There were seven planets, other than Corescant and the Valley's world, which kept popping up in his searches. Apparently, Duo and Katra did everything together. They were identical twins through their young lives, not only did they look and dress the same but they also talked the same way and the Master Jedi that trained them was constantly confusing one for the other. The only difference between the two was that Duo preferred the darker side of the Force. He was slightly more violent, more reckless, and much harsher in battle. The only thing that had kept him from becoming a Sith was his love for his brother. Katra was the polar opposite: calm, logical, deliberate, merciful, and very patient with his hotheaded brother. They had to be together to complete any mission that the council sent them on. _Which explains why every record that has one brother has the other. I guess that means that their pieces of the maps are all on the same worlds. That would narrow down our work._ Luke saved his work and went to find the rest of the group.

Leia had been researching Maceina. She found out three things about the Lady Jedi, with about a thousand variations on those things: first, Maceina was a Sodukan. Soduka was a very harsh, mountainous world. The highlands were barren craggy cliffs, formed by volcanoes and tectonic up-thrusts. The lowlands were filled with miasmic fumes that would kill any and everything. Yet on this world, a people had managed to grow and develop. Sodukans were humanoids in body with one major difference. They had hawk-like wings, eyesight, and hearing. This enabled them to live in and on the cliffs. Maceina was exceedingly light, due to her hollow bones, had reflexes that impressed even the most powerful Jedi, due to her constant flight, and was bordering on genius. She was extremely creative, resourceful, and smart. _Three talents that make her a natural for coming up with and then hiding clues to a galactic puzzle_. Second, she created every one of the booby traps surrounding the Valley and had the map of how to navigate through them. Third, she regularly visited only three worlds in the course of her life: Soduka, Corescant, and the planet that houses the Valley of the Jedi. _Which should make finding the clues easy to find…I hope_. Something about Maceina's history said that her hiding places wouldn't be easy to either find or penetrate.

R2D2 and C3PO had, arguably, both the simplest and the most difficult task to perform. It was simple because all they had to do was find the physical characteristics of a rock. It was difficult because there were next to no records of what the rock looked like. In the thousand years that the stone chip had sat within the archives of the Jedi Temple, almost no one had ever studied, written, or taken a holo of it. For nearly an hour, R2 and 3PO sifted through massive amounts of information looking for descriptions of this rock. 3PO was irritated with the fact that such an insipid task was taking so long, that his partner was not in the least bit discouraged about the lack of information, that Master Luke would not be pleased with said lack, and, most importantly, the fact that he was a protocol droid, not some research computer. The nerve of this Indiana Jones, he was far too much like General Solo for 3PO to be comfortable with him. 3PO was about to give up when R2 beeped in triumph. He had found a small, discarded, and overlooked article that had all the information that they sought. Not only was the physical description of the rock there but also extensive holos of what it actually looked like. Suddenly, 3PO was as joyful as his companion. He could not wait to proclaim his…uh, **their**, discovery.

Corban was by far the worst person that Indy had ever had to research. He had no records, no journals, no patterns, no social life, no family, and no one really knew him. Corban was a maverick. On Earth he would have been called a nobody. On Corescant he was almost called that, except for one thing: Corban was the most powerful Jedi of that generation. He had shown up at the Jedi Temple in his infancy, attained Master status at an insanely young age, was always on the move and always took the most difficult and life threatening missions. He was without fear, cunning, a brilliant strategist, and utterly single-minded. Corban was unconditionally devoted to the Jedi Order. _Good choice to go hide a place of power._ Indy found that Corban had the map to find the planet. Unfortunately, Corescant was the only planet that he went to more than once. _Means that his map could be absolutely anywhere._ He got up from the terminal that he had been working at. _ Maybe the other's got more stuff than I did._

Han and Chewie were on the bridge discussing the mission. They had successfully entered hyperspace about an hour ago, headed towards Corescant. But being on the outer ring of the galaxy had drastically increased the amount of time to get back to familiar territory, and Han didn't want to push the engines until he was sure that the hyperdrive was really fixed. He had to admit, though, he liked Indiana. Physical characteristics were not the only similarities that they had. Han could see a reckless streak in the archeologist, as well as a familiarity of how the world worked. _He could make a good pirate_. Han grinned. It was certainly would be an interesting space hop.

He was a little worried about going to Corescant. When the former Emperor had been in power, he used the central planet as the seat of his new government. Unfortunately, that seat had become one of the seediest, dirtiest, most corrupt planets in the galaxy. The utter destruction of the Jedi and the imposition of martial law had turned Corescant into a breeding ground for thieves, drunkards, liars, drug-dealers, and other disreputable scum. The return of the Republic to Corescant had slowly begun to restore order to the planet, but it was only in certain sectors. The capital building was housed in a prison-like compound that also protected some of the residence buildings close to the capital.

The Jedi Temple, however, was still deserted. No on had dared to enter it during the Imperial occupation. The Emperor was fearful that the Jedi would return to their temple and had given orders to his Troopers that any living thing found inside it was to be shot on sight. Not that anyone would have gone in. The Temple was guarded by myths that the dead Jedi still dwelled within and ate the flesh of any living thing that entered. Han wasn't in the least bit worried for their lives, being a pirate had given him a way with other outlaws, and no ghost story in the galaxy fazed him. No, he was worried about the Falcon. He couldn't imagine leaving his precious ship in reach of the cretins on Corescant. He had spent the past two hours planning how to guard the Falcon while they were searching the Temple for this rock. Han snorted at the thought. _How are they going to find a rock in a place that has been decaying for the last thirty some years?_ He stretched and stood up from the pilot's seat. _Better go see how everyone's doing_.

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Can anyone guess what Corban Beth-Shiloh means? Good luck finding out, though I shall give you a hint: His name is Hebrew. And yes, Corban, Maceina, Duo and Katra all belong to me, though they are based, loosely, on some of my favorite characters in other genres. By the way, I love getting reviews…hint hint…

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	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This may be the last chapter for a while. I've gotten kind of bored with this story and have switched my creative talents (however little they are) to another story (the Flight of the Crimson Assurance). Please don't worry, I shall return to this eventually, just, right now, I need to do something else. Thank you for all the reviews that I have gotten, and I hope to be back to Indy and the SW gang by Christmas. I hope… oh, and just to be really nasty, I have left y'all with a cliffhanger… (MWHAHAHAHA)

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Chapter 8

Descent

The Falcon made one complete orbit around Corescant before descending. Han had decided that the best way to protect his ship was to land it on the roof of the Temple and work their way down to the Archive chamber. He carefully piloted the Falcon towards the Temple, and gently landed it on the roof. The heights were dizzying. Corescant spread out below them like a model. Tiny buildings with points of light for windows, speeders looked like flies, the dirt and corruption that Corescant was now famous for was practically invisible. Corescant actually looked beautiful.

Luke was the first to exit, closely followed by the rest of the inhabitants of the Falcon. Before landing, Luke suggested that it would be best if everyone came down into the Temple. Han was a little irked at that idea. He had no intention of leaving the Falcon unguarded, until Leia said that, if he was so worried, he could stay with ship while everyone else went searching. Not about to be cut off from the prospect of a good adventure, Han came, begrudgingly.

"So, how do we get in?" Leia asked after exiting. Luke walked over to a small door in an alcove on the northeastern corner of the Temple's roof. "Think this'll work?"

"Ten to one it's locked." Indy said, moving towards the alcove. Luke tried it, Indy was right.

"Great," Han said sarcastically. "Now how do we get in?" Luke withdrew his lightsaber, activated it and slashed through the metal door. It fell in smoldering, red edged, pieces on the floor. Indy was seriously impressed. _I've gotta get me one of those. Wonder if they come in blue…_

The party passed through the improvised door. Passageway into which they entered was dark, but relatively clean. A slight film of dust was on the floor, leaving the prints of their boots to testify how they entered. Han, Leia, and R2 activated their flashlights; white beams pierced the darkness towards the end of the passage. There, spot-lit out of the darkness, was another door. "Looks like an elevator." Leia whispered. The Temple was so deathly silent that any noise they made sounded oppressively loud. R2 scooted forward and activated the doors. They opened to reveal that Leia was correct, mostly. Han leaned gingerly out to look down the dark, silent shaft. Han picked up a bolt from the floor and dropped it down the shaft. One…two…three…four…five…s-Clang. Indy whistled softly.

"R2," Luke said, "see if you can activate the elevator and get it up here." The little droid beeped softly and clicked to himself. A groan emanated from the depths of the Temple that sounded like a monster being stirred from its sleep. Lights flicked on overhead and the elevator slowly rose out of the shaft. "Good work." The elevator came to a standstill at their level and waited patiently for the party to enter. Luke was about to walk into the elevator when Leia stopped him.

"WAIT! Where are we going?"

"To the archives." Luke responded.

"Yeah, I know that, but what floor are they on?" Luke, Han and Indy exchanged glances. Leia had a point.

"R2, see if you can find where the archives are." The droid beeped, paused and then beeped happily.

"He says that the archives entrance is on level sublevel nine." 3PO interpreted.

Leia marched into the elevator and waited for the rest of the party. R2 detached himself from the computer jack and was the last to enter the elevator. The ride to sublevel nine was a little crowded with four humans, two droids and a wookie. But the elevator moved fast and in a few seconds, the party was deposited at the entrance to the archives. Power had been restored there too, which made the prospect of finding the piece of rock less frustrating.

Everyone took a terminal and began the hunt for the rock. Indy, however, was not paying any attention to the information that the Archives had placed on his screen. He was meditating on what Leia, Luke, and the droids had discovered earlier. _Duo and Katra do everything together. Maceina went almost nowhere. Corban went nowhere more than once. And the rock…_ Indy recalled almost a perfect mental image of the chip that he was supposed to be looking for. The stone was half the length of his hand and about as wide as the length of his thumb. It was roughly triangular, like a corner that had gotten hacked off of…_What? A stone something, I suppose. It would have to be really important for Duo to carry it with him for the remainder of his life and then pass it onwards._ One side was rough, broken and bumpy, furthering Indy's idea that this rock had been shorn off of something. The other two sides were relatively smooth, textured like polished granite. But on one side there were four odd-shaped deep grooves that looked like carvings. Those grooves were what really interested him. _That piece must fit on something. _Indy stretched and looked around at his companions.

Leia was not paying attention to her work either. She was trying to keep her mind off of both Han and Indy. She was still mad at Han for his remarks earlier and the archeologist intrigued her to the point of serious infatuation. She sighed. _I have to get my mind off of them._

Han, however, was trying desperately to keep his mind **on **Leia. _I screwed things up so badly with her. I wonder how I can get her to forgive me._ Indy's presence was daunting to the pirate and the fact that Leia liked him was so obvious that Han couldn't stand it. _I've got to get her away from him…or I may end up losing her altogether. She deserves better than I can give her, though; at least Indy listens to her._ Han sighed. It was going to be a long day.

The two droids were bickering about who was supposed to be doing what. 3PO was no exactly happy about becoming a research drone and when he had made a comment on that line of thought, R2 had practically pounced on him. A quite fuss of beeps and British was being exchanged as R2 defended the position of researching and 3PO tried to apologize for his words.

In the midst of all this quiet mayhem, it was Luke who finally found what it was that they were looking for, or at least traces of it.

The stone, the beginning of the search for the Lost Valley, was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Verily hath my muses returned to bestow their blessings upon this humble, silly brain. That, and I am in the middle of exams week and I can't take the bloody studying anymore, nee. Right, here is more for all you out there; hopefully I shall get another chapter soon. Oh, and this does have some characters being a little weird, but it needed some spice to make it flow better.

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Chapter 9

Ascent

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'IT'S GONE'?" Indy's frustration, excitement, and desire for puzzle solving quickly turned to anger at the thought of his hopes being deferred. His shout cut through the blanket of silence that had encased the Temple for decades and reverberated off the walls.

"Merely that." Luke said, calmly rising from his seat at the wall computer. "Duo's rock isn't in the Archives anymore."

"Where is it then?" Indy's anger abated with his previous outburst and now only pent up curiosity remained. _A puzzle within a puzzle…or someone got here first._

"From what the computer told me, the rock was removed about a millennia ago."

"That long?" Leia breathed.

"Yeah, apparently one of the Jedi Masters removed it about a century after Duo's apprentice placed it in the archives."

"Does it say where it was put?" Indy asked, excitement creeping into his voice.

"No." Luke said sadly. "It doesn't." The silence in the room was palpable.

"Well," Han said. "Now what do we do?" Everyone turned to look at Indy. The archeologist started pacing, again.

"R2," Indy said at last, "search the Archives. See if there is any additional information on the Valley or the rock. But only pull up the stuff that is dramatically different from that which we already have." The little blue droid pulled himself towards a port and began to sift the millions and millions of reports filed on the Valley. Indy started pacing again only to stop when the droid let off a long train of beeps and whistled. 3PO translated,

"It appears that the rock was identified as the top right-hand corner of Katra Arkos's grave-marker."

"Wait," Luke cut in, "Jedi don't have graves."

"Apparently," 3PO continued, "Katra Arkos was the last Jedi to be buried. After his demise, the Jedi began their practice of incineration of the dead."

"So that's why the rock was pulled from the Archives." Leia mused. "The Jedi Counsel considered it as too obvious that Katra's grave would be the first marker for the hunt."

"Where is Katra buried?" Indy asked. R2 again queried the computer and beeped.

"He says that Katra Arkos is buried on the third moon of Isosis."

"Alright, now we're getting somewhere. R2, pull up every holo, image, and physical description of this rock. And then let's get out of here."

"Why do you need that?" Leia asked.

"If we can't get the original rock, then I want a mock-up." Leia was about to ask her question again when Indy continued. "I have a feeling that that chip is a key of some sort to the grave. Or else Duo wouldn't have been so cautious to guard it." R2 beeped that he had found everything he could. The party removed every trace that they had been here and moved toward the elevators. Indy was about to enter when he whipped around and started searching through piles of debris that littered the Archive's floor. "Indy what are you doing?" Luke asked.

"These stones are the same kind of granite that Katra's tomb is made out of. Good to carve a mock up with." The archeologist selected one that was approximately the same size as the one he had seen in the holo earlier and then entered the elevator with the rest of the crew. R2 closed the doors and powered the elevator up the long shaft to the top of the tower. Strangely, it took about half the time to ascend than it had to descend. The elevator slowed and opened, not in the corridor that they had first entered, but to the main atrium of the temple and to a very nasty looking group of men with nastier looking guns.

"Oh, crap."

The actions taken after those two words were uttered was very fast and very blurry. No one, in retrospect, could remember who had moved first but in a manner of milliseconds, Han and Chewie were beating the snot out of one group of the pirates; Indy had shot one and was trying to wrest away another's blaster; Leia had picked up the fallen pirate's blaster and was making everyone pay; Luke, lightsaber in hand, was deflecting oncoming fire from another group of pirates that were coming in towards them; R2 remained dutifully in the elevator and kept the doors from closing while 3PO wailed about the fact that he was a protocol droid and not meant for fighting. At about the same moment, the crew all realized that they were fighting a losing battle (and Han worried about the safety of his Baby on the roof), and booked it for the elevator. R2 closed the doors to the incoming blaster fire and whisked the elevator up towards the Falcon. The doors opened to reveal…

More pirates. Han freaked, grabbed the blaster from Indy and ran headlong into the corridor blasting with reckless abandon. Fear for the well being of his ship, and adrenaline from the fight below, had chased all thoughts of personal safety and replaced them with rage. Chewie and Luke followed Han, Leia and the droids after them and Indy bringing up the rear. They raced out Luke's impromptu door and onto the platform to see Han carefully checking the Falcon for any tampering to his traps. He quickly keyed his entry code into the ship and raced inside to get the Falcon off the Tower. The other's had barely gotten inside before the ship leapt off the roof and into the lower parts of the atmosphere.

Leia stormed onto the bridge, grabbed the back of Han's chair and whirled it so that he had no choice but to face her wrath.

"HAN, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND! YOU ALMOST GOT YOUSELF KILLED RUNNING OUT INTO THE HALLWAY LIKE THAT! AND THEN YOU ALMOST LEFT US ON THE TOP OF THAT TOWER WHEN YOU RACED OUT OF HERE!" Han cringed under the fury of his sweetheart. _There is no way that she'll forgive me now. Might as well try…_ he cut in when she paused to take a breath.

"Leia, I'm sorry. You're right, I wasn't thinking. I just didn't want the Falcon to be attacked by pirates. I…I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about ordering you around earlier and for blowing up at you and for not thanking you for fixing the hyperdrive and for avoiding you all day and I'm really sorry." Han rattled off everything he could think of that she might still be angry with him for and watched in triumph as his apologies softened the stern look on Leia's face.

"I forgive you, Han. And I'm sorry for yelling at you. I've been a little moody lately and I've been taking it out on you. I guess I'm not used to your habits yet." Han grinned; he had his girl back. _That deserves a kiss._

"Do you have a chisel and a mallet here?" Indy was carefully considering how he should go about shaping his piece of rock to resemble the original. He had carefully sketched out how the original looked and watched Luke search around for the desired tools. He returned with a small chisel and medium sized hammer.

"These work?" Indy took the tools and examined them.

"Wonderfully, thanks." He gently chipped away at the granite. Little cuts slowly transformed the block into a scalene triangular pyramid. The granite was sized perfectly and smoothed to perfection. Indy then agonizingly cut the design of grooves into one side of the stone and rough edges into the other sided. The third was left smooth. He then brushed away all the clinging dirt and dust. The finished product was so close to the original it could not be distinguished from it. Indy took out of his bag a strip of oilcloth and wrapped the rock delicately in it. He then tucked his work back into his bag and went into his room to rest. It had been a long day.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­

A/N: for those who care…Corban Beth-Shiloh means "Reserved unto the Place of Peace" basically. If you actually speak Hebrew and this isn't correct, please tell me. I got that out of an old, old, old translation dictionary and I took only the most rudimentary meaning. More story coming soon!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: New chapter! And, seeming how I am filled with Christmas Spirit, I am giving you a double helping of all our favorite characters. Aren't you happy? Thanks and Cookies to all my reviewers, you guys are great. I am now going to make a shameless plug for my other story: This is a shameless plug for my other story, The Flight of the Crimson Assurance. It has absolutely nothing to do with Star Wars whatsoever, but I know that somewhere among my faithful, wonderful, reviewers there are Star Trek fans and to these fans I say: PLEASE READ CRIMSON ASSURANCE! Thank you for putting up with that, now on to the story.

Chapter 10

Gravedigger

The Falcon withdrew from hyperspace on the fringes of a system completely opposite from where she started. She paused briefly, as though catching her breath, before plunging towards the star in the center of the system. A huge, ancient, orange-red giant stood between her and the planet that she desired to reach. The Falcon swung around the outer edges of the giant, zeroing in on it's little brother. One of the three planets in the system was a gaseous monster, blue green in hue. It was surrounded by seven moons, which ranged from the size of small asteroids to the size of small planets. Neither the moons, nor the planet, nor anything in this system, save the Falcon, held any trace of life. The system was as dead and as silent as a graveyard. A fitting epitaph for what the Falcon's crew expected to find here.

"Sure we're supposed to come here?" Han asked no on in particular.

"Oh, yes, General Solo." 3PO answered. "The Archive's computer said that this is the burial place of Katra Arkos." Han grimaced; his loathing of the protocol droid had not abated one iota since they had first met.

"Uraaagh eunnn arrrraaaah." Chewie spoke up.

"You won't find any life readings," Han growled, "We're looking for a dead guy. Scan the third moon for any structures, I'm gonna go check up on the others." Han stood and entered the living area where Indy and Luke were playing with Chewie's holo-chess set.

"We made to Isosis, where's Leia?"

"In there," Luke answered, gesturing vaguely towards her room, and not looking up from the board.

"Find anything yet?" Indy asked, his interest in the game had abated once he found out how poorly Luke played chess.

"Not a thing," Han sighed. "Chewie's looking for the grave right now. But that could take a while."

"Why?"

"Because we're looking for a rock on a moon **made **of rock." Han moved towards Leia's room. "Not exactly easy," he called over his shoulder. Luke finally made his move. Indy glanced down, moved a rook and pronounced checkmate. Han softly knocked on Leia's door, paused, and was about to enter when Chewie groaned loudly from the cockpit. _Shoot._ Han reluctantly turned back to the bridge. The Wookie had found the grave. It was on the dark side of the third and largest moon, which they were now orbiting. Han slid into the pilot's seat and prepared to take the Falcon down.

"Did someone knock on my door?" Leia was standing in the entry way to the living area.

"Yeah," Luke said, "I think Han did but he went back to the…" the ship lurched slightly.

"Feels like we're landing," Leia said. She walked over to the bridge; Luke and Indy just behind her. Han didn't even look up when they entered and took seats around the bridge.

"I take it you found it, huh," Indy asked. Han grunted an affirmative, still not taking his eyes off the controls. The Falcon swooped gracefully down towards the planet-sized moon. Han swiftly extended the landing gear and settled the ship gently beside a huge boulder.

"Right, let's get out there and see what's to find. The moon has something of an atmosphere, but nothing breathable. Chewie, stay in the Falcon with the droids. The rest of you grab masks and lights and meet me in the bay. Oh, and Indy, you might want to get that rock of yours."

"You're sure that this is the grave?" Luke asked through his mask. The foursome had exited the Falcon and slowly walked out on the barren terrain. Nothing was in sight save a large boulder some twenty yards away from the Falcon.

"That's what Chewie said," Han replied, slowly scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary. "The grave is made of granite, the rest of this moon is compressed dust. Chewie said that the grave stuck out like a sore thumb on the scanners."

"Did he say where exactly?" Leia asked.

"I think that it's that boulder there," Indy answered pointing.

"how can you be sure?"

"Looks like granite," Indy started walking towards it. "That and none of the other rocks around here are sitting upright, only that one. That's not natural, gotta be man-made." The rest of the party followed. They slowly approached the boulder, and, sure enough, it was made of granite. The backside of it was rough hewn and natural looking, but, on the other side, was a smooth face. A long rectangle, about seven feet high and four feet broad, had been cut in bas-relief, so that the rectangle stood out from the rest of the boulder. The granite was not weathered, the carvings as distinct as they had been so many millennia ago. Indy put on a pair of cotton gloves and gently touched the surface of the stone. Polished, smooth, not the slightest trace of dust or wear, the carvings set within the stone were smooth all the way in. W_hoever carved this was a master…_ Indy looked up to the top right corner: _Missing. Hope I got the replica right._ He reached into his bag and slowly drew out the corner piece. Unrolling it from the cloth, he held it in his left hand like one holds an eggshell and lined it up with the missing corner. He reached up and gently touched the broken surface of the missing corner, memorizing the contours of each bump and divot. He then touched the underside of his replica, finding that the latter matched the former almost perfectly. "Alright, everybody stand back," he paused as Leia, Luke and Han took a few steps backward. Han slowly drew his blaster and took the safety off. Indy lifted the piece up and whispered "Here goes." He gently placed the replica on the missing corner and heard a loud CLICK.

Everyone was frozen for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for what would happen. Nothing did. "So," Han asked tentatively, "now what?"

Indy turned; "I don't…" his words were cut off as a large pit opened beneath his feet. As the others rushed towards him, the archeologist dropped like a stone some twenty feet down. He instinctively curled into a fetal position to lesson the impact of the fall.

"Indy?" Leia yelled down into the black cavern. "INDY? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" There was a pause that lasted almost too long before they heard a noise.

"I'm…" there was a rustling and coughing coming from deep with in the pit. "I'm alright, I think. Don't come too close to the hole, the sides could give way."

"We're coming down," Luke hollered.

"We are?" Han asked quizzically. "That's a good twenty foot drop, how are we going to get down there?" As a reply, Luke quite simply stepped off the edge.

I have decided to begin answering reviews as they occur. I am not going to do it for chapter 9 as that was so long ago I doubt that anyone one remembered what they wrote. On to the next chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I have not done this for twelve chapters, might as well do it now…I own nothing that has EVER been in any of the Star Wars cannon. Duo, Katra, Corban, Maceina, all poetry, and a whole plate of Christmas cookies are all that I own. If I did own Star Wars, which I don't, I would have fired the writers responsible for TPM, AOTC, and most of ROS (the last 40 minutes would have been allowed). But that is not my property, this is, mostly…

Chapter 11

Clues

"Is he INSANE?" Han demanded.

"LUKE?" Leia yelled down.

"It's alright, Leigh, I'm okay."

"Luke, Stay put." Han turned to Leia, "I'm going back to the ship for a grappling hook and some cable, make sure they don't go wandering off. I'll be right back." Leia briefly nodded and Han took off back to the Falcon.

Luke and Indy looked around the hole into which they had plunged. It was huge, to begin with. The ceiling sloped gracefully upwards to the hole, where they could see Leia outlined against the sky. The cavern was shaped like a long oval, some forty square feet, with a very smooth and even floor. Indy was carefully studying the walls, which were covered with the same markings as the gravestone. The carvings were in long strips that began at the top of the cavern and ran to the floor. Each line was spaced a foot and a half from each other, carved with the same care and master craftsmanship as the grave was.

"Luke, can you read these runes?" Indy asked. He was carefully sketching out the layout of the room. Luke focussed his light on a line and began to study it. He finally shook his head.

"Sorry, Indy, I can't make any of this out, it's all gibberish to me."

"LUKE?" Both men looked up to where Leia was standing. "WHAT'S WRONG?"

"Leia," Indy answered, "You can stop yelling, this room is a natural amplifier, we can hear you fine."

"Oh, sorry. So what's wrong?"

"There are a bunch of markings on this wall and neither of us can make them out."

"What do they look like?"

"They are very similar to the ones on the grave."

"Well, when Han comes back with the rope I can translate them for you."

"You know this language?"

"Of course. It's the writing used by the earliest form of the Galactic Senate. Anyone who wishes to become a senator has to learn it because all the old laws were written in it and no one had the decency to translate it."

"Can you read what the grave says before you come down?"

"Sure hold on." Her head disappeared.

Indy turned to Luke, "If you two are siblings, how come she can read that stuff and you can't?"

Luke half grinned, "Leia and I were separated at birth, we didn't actually meet until about five years ago. She was training to become the representative of Alderaan to the Imperial Senate, before the war." Leia came back.

"It says, 'Here lies Katra Arkos, Jedi Master, faithful brother, dying friend.

If only thou could understand

The Pole Star thou hath been to me,

Mayhaps thou wouldst forsake the land

To steer me cross my raging sea.

My Valiant one with Quiet Heart,

Upon this moon I lay thee here,

To sleep beneath the Heav'nly Art,

To guide all those who draweth near.

Thy death must a doorway be

A land of calm without the swells

Of raging life I'll follow thee

Into that land where now thee dwells.

And unto those who walk this path,

Know now the journey is not far,

Beware thy anger, swallow wrath,

And fix thine eyes upon My Star.'"

Indy had furiously scribbled down what Leia had said but still he asked her to repeat it twice through to make sure that he got it all.

"Why are you writing all that down?" Luke asked.

"Why would Duo write all that cryptic stuff on a grave marker?"

"You think that it has something to do with the writing down here?" Indy didn't answer as two lines of cable dropped down into the cavern. Leia and Han followed soon after.

"I bolted them to the top of the boulder," Han said. "It should be able to hold us getting back out." Leia immediately started looking at all the lines of marks on the walls and ceiling.

"Where does it start?" She asked at last.

"I was hoping that you could tell me that." Indy replied. "I'm guessing that you can't."

"No, this is utter gibberish. No words at all." She turned slowly, scanning for anything that made sense. "There's nothing here."

"Great," Indy began to go back over the poem from the gravestone, then he started pacing, again. _We're looking for a piece of a map. If the map was to last for millennia, they would have to make it out of something durable. A hard copy. Paper would turn to dust. It could be cloth, but there would be the risk of insects. It would have to be stone. Stone, stone, STONE! This room is the first piece of the map. The lines are all gibberish because they need a key to decipher them._ He stopped pacing. "Look for a star carved anywhere you can see." The others looked at him like he was crazy.

"Why?" Han asked.

"The grave's poem references stars three times and it is all in reference to either Katra or this room. Third stanza talks about a door to the next life, which could be a reference to the Valley, and the fourth stanza says that others shall follow by fixing their eyes on a star. So look for a star." Apparently that rapid explanation made a lot of sense because in a moment everyone was looking for a carving of a star. The walls and ceiling were carefully examined for nearly an hour, but still no star could be found.

Frustration was growing and Indy was about to re-evaluate his interpretation of the poem when Han asked "That it?" He was standing off the center of the room looking up, not to the ceiling, but to the grave. Just over the lip of the hole, the top of the boulder could be seen, and carved prominently onto the surface was a four-pointed star. Indy walked over to where he was standing, but he only briefly looked up. He then crouched down and began to clear away the dirt that covered the floor. His fingers swept over bare rock as he pushed sand, loam, and dust everywhere. Then he froze. He frantically reached into his bag and pulled out a brush. Gently now he slowly swept away a patch of dirt that did not cover just bear rock but another four-pointed star. It was identical to the one that graced Katra's grave. Indy quickly found two more one either side of the original. "Spread out and uncover as many of these as you can."

Within an hour they had exposed 72 identical, four-pointed stars making a great circle exactly one foot from the edge of the wall. The accumulated dirt had been pushed either to the center of the room or to the outer edges, making the star-ring a form of trench on the floor.

"Great," Han said at last. "Now what do we do?" The four of them were seated in the middle of the ring, on the large pile of dirt. Dusty, sweaty, thirsty and tired, tempers were a little short for everyone except Indy. He was about as excited as a kid at Christmas and didn't even attempt to hide it.

"Now we figure out which one of these stars has the next clue inside of it." Indy pulled a canteen out of his bag and passed it around.

"How can you tell which one is right?" Luke asked. The thought of prying at 72 different and indistinguishable stars was not exactly pleasant.

"There has to be a clue in the poem." Leia answered. Indy started flipping back through his notebook to find the poem that she had read. "What was the last stanza?"

"' And unto those who walk this path, know now the journey is not far, beware thy anger, swallow wrath, and fix thine eyes upon My Star.'" Indy read and fell into silence. _Fix thine eyes upon my star. Which star, there are dozens here. Gotta be one that Duo was familiar with. Something that he references. Star, star, star…_ "POLE STAR!" Indy almost shouted, his voice reverberated in the cavern making it seem a lot louder than it actually was.

"What?" was the collective outburst to Indy's yell.

"Katra is referred to as Duo's Pole Star. So the star that we're supposed to find has to be pointing to one of the poles. Where's my compass?" he asked the last question mostly to himself and began to dig into the depths of his bag to find it.

"Han?" Leia asked, "Are we in the northern or southern hemisphere of the moon?"

"Uh, northern, I think. Hold on lemme check." He pulled his comlink off of his belt and said "Chewie? Chewie can you hear me?" There was a long, static-y pause before the familiar voice hollered back over the link. "Yeah, I hear ya, listen, are we in the northern-hemisphere of the planet?" Another pause, another growl-moan. "Really? Right." A question growl. "Yeah, we should be back soon. Thanks." Han clicked it off and returned the small device to his belt. "Chewie says we're in the northern-hemisphere." Indy had, by this time, found his compass and had moved to stand in the exact center of the room. He slowly turned until the needle lined up exactly with magnetic north and pointed at one of the stars directly in front of him.

"That one. Luke, could you stand next to it?" The Jedi did so as Indy and the others quickly gathered around him. Indy pulled a knife out of the back of his belt and knelt next to the star. He placed the tip of the knife blade in the center of the star and pushed gently downwards.

CRACK!

Again, will answer reviews commencing with Chapter 12, which I hope to post sometime before Christmas. Please review, and please read Crimson Assurance (another shameless plug…)


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Don't own any copyrighted StarWars people, places, or things. Everything else is mine.

Replies to my most excellent and faithful reviewers:  
LunaticPandora1: yes, scary, cool but scary. Nazis beware!  
Jedi X-Man Serena Kenobi: much obliged, as always. can't wait for more Revenge of the Idiots!  
The Black Inferno Alchemist: Dahlin, in my world (where I own EVERYTHING I like), ep1 would be burned to a crisp and fed to cute puppies MWHAHAHAHA thanks for reviewing anyways...  
Han-Skywalker: ThankYou  
alhmo3224: ThankYou, love hearing from new reviewers. creative comments are most appreciated  
LieutenantPage: Ditto.

Right, enough of that...

Chapter 12

Onward

The ground and walls of the cavern began to shake uncontrollably. A deep thundering was coupled with a high pitched screech that made Indy think of fingernails on a chalkboard. The noise was deafening, to say the least, and the shaking walls stirred up so much dust and dirt that there was no way to see anything. The noise and shaking stopped after a few seconds, but it took several minutes for the dust to settle enough for anyone to see what had happened.

A podium of sorts had thrust up through the pile of dirt that once inhabited the middle of the room. It was cylindrical, about two feet in diameter and three feet high, granite, smooth as silk and covered in the same "writing" as the rest of the room. Leia slowly circled it, trying to make out what it said, and then shook her head. These markings made no sense either. On top of the cylinder, there was a thin line carved about two inches from the sides, making another full circle. A four-pointed star carved within the second circle had a thin slit in the center. Indy slid his knife blade into the slit and heard a soft click. The inner circle hinged upwards and opened with Indy's knife sticking out the top. Within the cylindrical there were three pieces of stone sitting side by side. Indy gently reached in and pulled out the first one. It was white marble, an inch thick, two feet long and one foot wide, and covered in curves lines and dashes. The second piece was black marble, same dimensions, same markings. The third one, granite, was the smallest, half an inch thick, it was one foot by half a foot and Leia immediately recognized the writing.

"This is the same as the stuff on Katra's grave." She handled the granite slab delicately. "It's too dusty to read, we should get back to the Falcon."

"Now that's the most sensible thing I've heard all day," Han muttered. Indy took off his leather jacket and laid it on the ground. He gently placed the stone tablets on it and began to bind them.

"Han, you and Leia go up first. I'll send up the tablets with Luke and come up last." There was a slight edge in Indy's voice that suggested that he had no intention of letting this task be done any other way. Getting themselves out was easy enough, getting the tablets out was a little more arduous, but it happened nonetheless. Indy removed his knife blade from the lid of the container, gently pushed the cylinder back into the floor of the cavern, carefully pushed the dirt back to cover the stars in the floor, climbed out. He grabbed the stone chip from the top of the grave and watched as the hole, through which he fell, close up. Luke had removed the tablets from Indy's jacket while Han untied and bound up the cables. Leia picked up the cables, while each of the others grabbed a piece of stone and trekked back to the Falcon.

Chewie, during the three hours that the others had been away, had done a complete systems check and repair, with the assistance of the droids, on the Falcon. Taking only a brief break to answer Han's question about hemispheres, he still didn't understand that, Chewie had been able to get the Falcon back into some manageable shape. Translation: she wouldn't fall apart on them if they were good to her. Time had passed quickly for the Wookie, and he was thus surprised when the bay doors opened to admit four dusty humans, three stone blocks, two steel cables, and a partridge in a pear tree **(A/N: sorry, I am still very much in the Christmas spirit and couldn't resist that last bit at all)**. Air masks were quickly removed and the crew quickly gathered in the living area to assess what they had found.

Indy yanked off his jacket, removed one of the finer of his brushes and set to work removing the layers of dirt and dust from the surface of each of the blocks. They were in remarkably good condition, considering they had been buried in the ground for the past millennia or so. The first one that he cleaned was the granite slab. The grooves were in the same condition as the rest of the markings that were seen in the cavern. He handed it to Leia, who diligently set about translating it. He then turned his attention to cleaning the marble slabs. The others sat in silence, waiting for the tasks to be complete. Leia was still working out the translations when Indy finished cleaning.

"These have to be the map pieces. Han, can you make any of this out?"

The pirate leaned over them, pondered for a while and pronounced, "Nuh-uh. Sorry, but these symbols are gibberish without a point of reference. I might be able to make out constellations or planet systems if I knew which dot was a planet and which was a star." He sighed. "And don't even think about asking me to decode it. It's not worth the time or the effort."

Leia looked up from the granite, "I think I got it." All heads turned in her direction.

"Wait a second," Indy said, grabbing his notebook and pen. "Okay, shoot."

"I think I will." The archeologist looked up into the barrel of a rifle.

"Aw, hell."

yeah, evil nasty cliffhanger on an evil nasty short chapter. i love getting reviews...and i also love hearing about what you people think is going to happen next...hint, hint. right, i've gotta go blow up aliens on Halo (which i do not own, by the way) and create the next plot twist...REVIEW!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I still do not own a bloody thing (except a laptop, an account with my college fund, and a rapidly disappearing chocolate bar. Oh, and Alsuice Carron, he's mine, though he may be loosely based on another couple of characters all squished together. See if you can figure out whom he's supposed to look like). All things pertaining to the Star Wars or Indiana Jones universes belong to George Lucas and Stephen Speilburg. There, got that over with.

Notes:

**Phantom'sJediBandiGirl**: I am so terribly sorry that I forgot to mention you in my last (and technically first) batch of notes. Completely slipped my mind, and I do ask that you shall forgive me. In answer to you question: I have never read The DaVinchi Code and therefore I cannot make any guess as to whether or not my story shall end up like that book. However, I try my uttermost to keep my characters the way they are supposed to be, so i doubt that any of the good guys shall betray the group...I hope.

**Jedi X-Men Serena Kenobi**: thank you for reviewing, and for the latest chapter in Revenge of the Idiots, still keeps me laughing. And here is the next chapter of my story so you can find out what is going to happen.

**RavenRulzRF**: you shall soon find out...

**Han-Skywalker**: you think that Han is holding the rifle! I am utterly shocked, utterly. Come now, we all know that Han is an egocentric narcissist, he couldn't bear to have any harm come to anything resembling him (even if it is Indy). Besides, Luke and Leia would beat the tar out of him if he tried to attack one of their own. Logic, man, use logic.

And that goes for the rest of you out there (ie: **Lunatic Pardora1, The Black Inferno Chemist, **and **Lieutennant Page**). NAZIS! Why…who…I…it is utterly unbelievable that I would set up a plot that has a Nazi (or group thereof) hiding in the Millennium Falcon for a bloody week and then suddenly pop back into existence. The very idea is absolutely hysterical, so thanks ever so much for the laugh. But please, in further guesses, USE SOME BLOODY LOGIC ALREADY!

There, now that my laughing/ranting/logic fit has passed, you can figure out who is really holding the gun. Unless, that is, you skipped all this nonsense and went straight for the heart of the matter. In which case I say, extrasweets for determination, but subtracted biscuits for lack of patience. To the other ones who are faithfully reading all of my ramblings, no matter how utterly insignificant they may be, I say thank you and now I shall kindly shut up and get on with it…

Chapter 13

Keeping Up with the Jones's

Blaster rifles are very interesting weapons. Able to unleash huge bolts of energy, utterly destroy the ability of one's opponent to fight back, and look decidedly wicked, they are excellent in medium range battles. At long or short range, however, they are unwieldy, unmanageable, ungraceful, and easy to misfire. Fighting unarmed against one can be done, if you are crafty enough and have some kind of distraction. Fighting unarmed against a half-score or more blaster rifles is highly discouraged, as you cannot distract all of the shooters at the same time. This is why, when the Empire was still in power, Storm Troopers who carried blaster rifles always traveled in groups of eight or more, more being preferable. If one had the element of surprise and a large amount of thermal detonators and a lightsaber, it is possible to wreak havoc on a group of Storm Troopers, as Han and Luke knew very well. In this situation, however, where surprise had been used against them, detonators were in short supply and lightsabers were out of reach, and the Storm Troopers that they were facing were marked with the "Elite" status, resistance seemed most futile.

The time that passed after Indy's comment was slow and quiet. Not one of the Falcon's crew moved, few of them breathed, as they watched six Elite Troopers slowly seep into the room. Han could imagine others rampaging through his ship, ripping open containers, fiddling with his hyperdrive, and causing general destruction. Needless to say, he was a little peeved. The original speaker, the commander of the Elites by his markings, motioned with his blaster for them to stand. Slowly the prisoners obeyed, hands raised slightly.

"You move, we shoot. Got it?" The commander barked. His voice, though muffled by his helmet, lost none of the cold chill of certainty that one possesses when in total control of a situation.

"What do you want?" Han challenged back.

"I believe you know." Two Elites calmly walked forward and scooped up the tablets. "Cooperate and I'll consider letting you live." Another Elite stepped forward.

"Commander, we've finished searching the ship, it's clean, sir. Nothing else of value." The commander nodded curtly and scanned the room. His helmeted eyes rested on Indy an instant longer than on the rest.

"Take him." Two Elites moved forward and grabbed the archeologist's arms.

"STOP!" Leia yelled. "You can't do that." The commander's blaster leveled with her face.

"I think I can. Be grateful, miss, that I don't take all of you." He turned and started to walk out.

"Hold on," Indy uttered his first word of protest. The commander paused. "I can't go without my bag."

"Why?"

"Look, the only reason you want me is so that I can find the Valley for you, right?" Indy took the following pause as confirmation. "Well, I can't do any archeological work without my gear. It's important for the work." No one moved. _Come on, helmet head, buy it. Please buy it._ The commander nodded to another Elite who picked up Indy's bag and riffled through it.

"No weapons, sir. Just some brushes and a few data pads." The commander continued to walk away. The other Elites followed, bringing the tablets, the bag, and the archeologist.

"Don't worry about me," Indy called back over his shoulder. "Get the next clue before they do." The doors closed behind him with crypt like finality.

"How?" Leia whispered.

"Simple." Han said coldly. "We're going after him."

"No." Luke spoke at last. "No we're not, not yet."

"What? Why not?" Han turned on his friend. "We've got no hope of finding the next clue without those rocks, and no hope of getting it without Indy."

Luke smiled grimly. "I have a plan."

Indy, on the other hand, had no plan. Having been bound, dragged off the Falcon, hauled onto a small transport ship, pushed onto a bigger transport ship, and finally dumped into a cell, he was pretty much out of it. His only hope was that Luke had picked up on what he had been shouting in his brain.

He had been in the cell for a few hours before the doors opened. Thoughts of escape were quickly dashed when two very large Storm Troopers marched in, with another two visible just beyond the threshold. One reached down and grabbed his arms. The other checked to make sure that the handcuffs were still secure. Indy was then prodded out the door, down a hallway, in an elevator (where it was very cramped with five large people, four blaster rifles, and four sets of armor), down another hallway, down a third hallway, and finally into a room. Indy glanced around it, quickly taking in what he saw. The room was roughly twenty-five by thirty-five feet, one door (through which they entered), no windows. Tables were embedded against three of the four walls, excluding the wall with the door, and had two long ones in the middle of the room. The tables against the walls were covered with computers, data pads, and metallic tools of all shapes and sizes. One of the two in the middle of the room had the three stone tablets, lying on soft foam pads. The other had Indy's tools, each ceremoniously laid out, ready for use.

Over the table that had the tablets leaned a man. He turned when Indy entered, giving the archeologist time to study him as well as the room. He was young, no more than twenty-five by Indy's estimate, tall and Arian in appearance. Platinum blond hair blended with very, very pale skin. He was dressed in a long black coat, high collared and buttonless, which looked for all the world like an early nineteenth century duster. Black slacks and black boots were barely visible beneath the bottom of his coat, but Indy was staring, not at his wardrobe, but at his eyes. They were black as well, black as coal, black as night, but not a shining black. They were dead, opaque, unmoving, unwavering, cold, black dead eyes. The two men sized each other up for half a heartbeat before the Arian spoke.

"I do not believe that we have been formally introduced," his voice was as cold and as dead as his eyes. Quiet, almost snakelike, with the slightest whisper to it, Indy was immediately on his guard. "I am Alsuice Carron," he extended a thin white hand. Indy stared at it, then, deciding to at least be polite, took it with one of his manacled hands.

"Indiana Jones." The Arian looked at the bonds and glanced at one of the four Storm Troopers, who immediately removed Indy's handcuffs.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jones." Carron gave a condescending smile.

"Doctor." Indy said gruffly, rubbing his wrists.

"Hmm?" There was an underlying current of disdain in Carron's voice. _Guess he doesn't get corrected a lot._

"I have a doctorate in archeology, my title is Doctor, not Mister."

"Oh, terribly sorry. I have no epithets other than Mister, so I usually think in those terms. I hope you are not offended." He turned, giving Indy no opportunity to answer. "I also hope that you are not offended by the method of, hmm, extraction that I had to use. Troopers can be a little too forceful with their methods." Carron was now standing over the tablets again. "I shall come straight to the point, **Dr.** Jones." He glanced back over his shoulder. "I need your help in deciphering these tablets."

"That's your plan?" The incredulity in Han's voice was a little overpowering. "Of all the harebrained, idiotic, ludicrous schemes I've heard, this one takes the cake."

"Like you haven't thought of some crazy ones yourself," Leia said sarcastically. "Do you happen to have a better one?"

"Well…no, I don't. But anything has to be better than this."

"I think it'll work," Luke declared enthusiastically.

"Of course you do," Han retorted, "You came up with it."

"Han, shut up," Leia barked. "I think it'll work too, Luke, but we have to hurry."

"And why should I help you?" Indy walked over to the table with his tools.

"Oh, come now Doctor," Carron said breezily, "I can see how much you want to work on them. A thousand-year-old puzzle, a treasure hunt, you want to solve it. That's why you joined this little escapade, correct?" Indy gritted his teeth. _I don't like this guy at all._

"What's it to you?"

"Well, nothing I suppose. I certainly don't believe in all this mumbo-jumbo about the tangible Force and that nonsense. I just want to collect the pieces, I already have the first." He glanced over to the end of the table where, sitting on a piece of foam, sat the original corner piece that had been taken from the Archive Room so long ago.

"How did you…?"

Carron laughed, it was simpering, quiet laughter that made one want to vomit. "It's been in my family for years. When the Jedi counsel took it out of their precious archives, they gave it to one of my ancestors for safekeeping. This bit of stone was actually what got me interested in collecting in the first place. For years I have searched for the next piece to the puzzle. I suppose that I should thank you, Dr. Jones, you have done what I could never do: find the next piece. Now it shall be easy to find the rest."

"But why do you want them?"

"Because I collect the rarest things in the galaxy: original art, music scores, ancient weapons, pieces from ruins. But this," he gestured to the tablets, "these relics represent the possibility of a complete set of originals. They have never been seen for a thousand years, utterly priceless, in mint condition, perfect. If I can find all of them, they would be the prize of my collection."

"Then why do you want me to translate them?"

"Because I cannot find the next piece without you deciphering the clues. Please, Dr. Jones, help me find them." The dead eyes were locked on Indy, and the archeologist didn't like it at all. _What choice do I have? The only way to get back to the Falcon is to play along with this weirdo._ He sighed. _Might as well voice my discontent._

"How do I know that you aren't some lying, power crazed, self-centered, maniac who just intends to use me to get to the Valley's power?"

That laugh again. "I told you, Doctor, I don't believe in all that. Do you?" Indy blinked. _What? _The Arian answered for him. "No, of course not. How could a scientist such as yourself accept what cannot be proven?" Carron gave a snakelike smile. "No, I believe that you are in this just to find the pieces, solve the puzzle. And I can give you better means to do it. Could your friends on that little blip of a vessel offer you all this?" He gestured around the room. But Indy wasn't paying any attention. He was still focused on Carron's first question. _Do I believe in the supernatural?_ Carron took the silence as an affirmative. He offered that smile again. "Well, I am sure that you are tired after such a long day. Trooper, please show our guest to his quarters. Good night, Dr. Jones." He turned and walked out. Indy continued to stand by the table, oblivious to everything except the questions pounding in his head. _Can I accept what cannot be proven?_

"Sir?" The Storm Trooper stepped forward slightly. "This way please." Indy still didn't move. The Trooper gently took the archeologist by his elbow and led him out of the room.

_What **DO** I believe in?_

Hmmmm…what does Indy believe in? Any guesses? Oh, and I've come to a bit of a road block in this story, so I am going to take some time off and figure out how far I want to take this bloody thing (plus, term is starting in a few days, and we all know how much teachers enjoy piling on homework after a break). So just a warning: don't expect anything too soon. Any suggestions of where I should take this would be most appreciated, just click on that little "Go" button in the bottom left hand corner and drop me a line (other than something that says "I love it! Please update soon!" Come on people can we at least exercise our vocabulary?) Sorry about that, my writing muse has gotten a bad cold and is a bit snappish about being forced toreason all this out for you. She can be placated with many reviews. And now I'm rambling again…


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I STILL don't own StarWars or Indiana Jones or any characters therein (Alsuice is still mine...). The endless waltz bit is from the Gundam Wing movie by the same name (owned by Bandi,I do believe). Please don't sue me for using it.

_Note to all who read my ramblings_: I am sorry thatI haven't updated in ten days. My original muse for this story went AWOL and I had to go kidnap someone else to take her place. So then, because my new muse was, well, new, I had him sit down with my other muses and we all discussed this story and whereI should take it. That discussion ranged from the useful (The clues that you write should be planned out in advance so that there will be a logical flow) to the funny (What are you paying me to do this?) to the utterly ridiculous (Why is there no rum in this story?). _If you can figure out who my muses are, you'll get extra e-cookies._ Eventually, we figured out what my long range plan is, and believe me, it is a LONG range plan. I have a feeling that when this is over we'll have at least twenty five to thirty chapters, just to make it adequate enough to solve all my plot holes. I now have an idea of where this is going, though it may take some time to craft the story to follow the path. All this is to say, I am terribly sorry for the frightfully long wait, and I intend to stick to this long enough to get to the end, though it may take a while to get there. Thank you for being faithful enough to stay with me.

_Notes to reviewers:_

**Lt. Commander Richie: **Usually I don't take orders, but, as I was intending to update anyways, I shall acquiesce to your proposal. Thanks for joining with my reviewers.  
**Ms. Pippin Baggins:** Thank you for reviewing. This does not inanyway follow the masterful, utter insanity in "Idiots", but I do try. As for not using the word "Hell", I completely understand. I shall endevour not to use it. I try my best not to swear, as I believe that swearing every other word denotes a form of cognitive inability and a lack of vocabulary, but sometimes Indy just needs to swear. It's part of his nature and style, and I have no inclination to change what is accepted.  
**Han-Skywalker** : Thank you for reading my ramblings. Indy turn evil? GASP Surely, you jest! As for Luke's plan, well, it's briefly mentioned below, but as we all know: the best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry...  
**Lilliesofthevalley** : HI! Love back...  
**L.E. Croft** : Wow, long comment. The idea is not original, there are at least three stories like this that I know of, but they never have endings (a path I intend not to follow). Yes, I also believe that Indy believes, more on that to come. As I have a muse for this once more, I don't intend to leave it hanging, though I may take an ocasional holiday from it... I intend to give some depth to Carron, but not just yet. Also, I have tried to add some jump-markers as you suggested. I completely understand the need for them, I just never thought about putting them in before. Thanks for the suggestions, more will be coming soon, I hope.  
**LieutenantPage** : I agree, and thank you.  
**Lunatic Pandora1** : True, so I forgive you. Yes, and more on that later.  
**The Black Inferno Alchemist** : Still sorry about that "Chemist" thing. I do hope that you're not sore about that...  
**Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi** : Thank you and do update "Idiots". I need my daily dose of random insanity!  
**RavenRulzRF** : Thank you, but don't diss history teachers. History is important as if we do not know where we come from then we tend to make old mistakes again and again.A good book to read about that is "The Giver" by Lois Lowery. (it's very short, maybe a hundred pages, very well written,I think you would enjoy it.)  
**Phantom'sJediBandieGirl** : Well, Crusade is my favorite of the Jones movies, so I will bring in some elements of that (see if you can pick one out below...). It's quite alright about the Da Vinchi code thing, I understand.

Whew, that was alot...onto the story:

Chapter 14

Flippin'

"Can you remember anything that it said?" The Falcon still sat on the dead moon of Isosis, waiting patiently until her crew could figure out where they were supposed to go. Luke's plan to rescue Indy hinged decidedly on whether or not they could decipher the next clue. Unfortunately, the Elite Troopers had taken the only hard copy that they had and Leia was only able to partially translate what was written on the tablet.

"Not really, Luke. The only things that I can remember is that it referenced a roaming child, a dance, and hungry people walking. I just didn't have time to memorize it. The language was older than the type that I read on Katra's grave." Leia sat, staring at Indy's jacket. He had left it in the living area when the Elites took him. She knew that she had to figure out the meaning of the tablet, but she could not remember the whole thing.

Luke started pacing again; some of Indy's personality had rubbed off on him. The plan seemed to be brilliant when he had first thought of it. Wait on Isosis and figure out where the tablet pointed them, get there and wait for Indy's kidnappers to show up. Lure them all off of their ship, and then grab the archeologist and the stolen tablets and get far away as fast as possible. Simple, except for the fact that they couldn't find out where they were supposed to go without the tablets, which they didn't have. It was a real Catch-22 situation. The solution was the problem all over again. Luke sighed.

DXVJKE

Indy was, at that same moment, also sighing, but for different reasons. He was frustrated beyond belief. The disorientation that he had suffered from last night over what he believed had passed, at least temporarily. He had to adapt, get back in the game, not let what Carron said phase him, if he wanted to get off of this ship and back to the Falcon. He had hoped that he would be able to work alone on this tablet thing, and thus stall for time, but Carron shadowed his every move.

There was something about his "host" that made Indy extremely tense. Carron seemed to be a blend of a Jesuit and a Nazi. He tried to be pleasant, or to be friendly, but his smiles and "nice" personality were like an oily exterior, screaming that a serpent hides within. He would avoid Indy's gaze like he had something to hide. But when he met it, there was a deep-seated aggression that was thinly masked by his dead eyes. Indy didn't like him one iota; he had no intention of trusting Carron, but no desire to see him when he was angry. _I only have to stay here for a little while. Gotta find out what makes this guy tick. _But Carron stuck to his art collector story, a tale that Indy believed about as much as he believed Hitler's master race bullroar.

The main reason that Indy didn't like him, is the fact that Carron was way too controlling. Carron's presence in the workroom was grating against Indy's nerves. Indy had to put up and keep up a façade of stumped-zeal if he was ever going to buy his friends enough time to get to the next clue. Thus, the sighing. Indy's frustration here was completely forced, but not unnatural. He was frustrated by Carron, but he was a good enough of an actor to make Carron believe that he was frustrated by the translation process.

DXVJKE

"Got anything yet?" Han walked into the living area, took one look at Leia's face, and had his answer. "Guess not." He sat down on the couch next to her. She leaned back against him; Han could almost feel the anxiety in her. "Hey," he looked down at her, "We're gonna find him. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried," she faintly protested, but it was plastered all over her face. "I…I just wish I could remember…" her voice trailed off. She was staring at Indy's jacket again. Han gently planted a kiss on her hair and he too looked down at the jacket.

Luke was slumped against the round wall just outside his quarters. He was berating himself for losing the only chance they had of rescuing Indy. The Elite's ship had left this sector of space hours ago, leaving no trail, no way of following them, no hope. His plan had made so much sense when all of this started. Now…_Now I've blown it. Leia is blaming herself. Our hope of finding the Valley is gone. It's all my fault…_ Luke was snapped out of his thoughts by a terrible crash from the living area. He jumped up from the floor, raced around the corner, only to find…

DXVJKE

Indy had flatly refused to allow any technical device to scan the tablets. His given reason was that an electrical current or transmission frequency could ruin the tablets. His real reasons were that A) the computer would make the job way too easy, and not take enough time and B) Carron could have a copy of the tablets in his computer, Indy didn't want him to have anything by the time he left. He was, therefore, hand translating. He had taken three hours for each of the "map" tablets to see if there was a code that he could break, and then give his professional opinion that he couldn't do anything about it. The main tablet, the one with the writing that Leia had almost translated, was what he was working on now. He had carefully, painstakingly, time-consumingly, copied the first few symbols from the tablet and was searching through Carron's computer's memory banks for anything that fit. Had come across twenty-six different languages that used those symbols, and was now cross-checking for other symbols that would fit. He could have just looked for every reference that the computer had of the old language of the Republic, but, again, that wouldn't take enough time. He knew that he had to produce results soon, or Carron would catch on, but for now, being agonizingly slow was an advantage for Han, Luke, and Leia. He stretched his back and arms and turned back to cross-checking. _Come on, guys, you can get this._

DXVJKE

C3PO was having what humans would call a rough couple of days. After leaving Corescant, with all of those horrid pirates, his morning had started routinely enough: having recouped his power supply during the night, he was feeling quite satisfactory. The crew of the Falcon was in high spirits after finding the location of the next clue, and C3PO was, at one point, much the same. The came the shift into hyperspace. He still could not get over the feeling of leaving half of his innards in one portion of space while the other half jumped forward. He had watched Master Luke and Indiana Jones playing holo-chess, but the queasiness of space travel was making him feel far worse than usual, and he had to go find something else to occupy his time.

He had a pleasant conversation with the ship's onboard computer, discussing flight vectors, new legislation being introduced to the Republic, computer upgrades, the inner workings of the pirate culture, the different dialects of the Eccstosian classes, the fastest way to fix a hyperspacial conduit, etc. His stomach then lurched again, signaling the fact that they had left hyperspace. C3PO then went and talked with R2D2 for a while before going to assist Chewbacca repair some minor details of the Falcon. He got a bad electrical scorch mark on his leg, got his hand caught in some wiring while trying to retrieve a fallen tool, fell into one of General Solo's smuggling holds that had been carelessly left open, slipped on a pool of murky liquid that was oozing out of some part of machinery, and then slipped on said pool three times more while trying to get up to tell Chewbacca that something was leaking. Then, while he was trying to clean the murky liquid off of his legs and the back of his torso, he was startled by three Elite Storm Troopers barging in on him, waving their disgusting blasters around, demanding his identification number, and leaving without any form of explanation.

After that indecency, C3PO found out that the Elite Troopers had taken the tablets, which Master Luke had gotten off the moon they were on, along with Dr. Jones. The emotional despondency that drifted down on the crew was beginning to affect him, and he went to find consolation with R2D2. While walking through the hallways fo the Falcon to find the little droid, C3PO found something most unexpected. Lying in the middle of the hallway floor, just outside the cargo bay doors, was Dr. Jones's fedora. He reached down and gently picked the felt hat only to find a blank piece of white parchment and a red stylus shaped instrument underneath it. Puzzled by the presence of these three things, C3PO picked up the objects and hurried to find Master Luke, whom, he was assured, understood this peculiar tendency in humans to carry white parchment and red styluses within hats.

C3PO rushed, with decided dignity, through the halls, looking for his master. When he came into the living area, he was in such a puzzled fluster that he did not notice the brown article of clothing on the floor until it was too late. His right foot caught the edge of the jacket and slid out from under him. C3PO flew briefly up into the air and landed on his back with a very loud crash, the hat, parchment, and stylus flying out of his hands.

DXVJKE

Luke, Leia and Han all simultaneously converged on the fallen droid.

"3PO," Luke said, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he helped lift his friend up. "What happened?" C3PO quickly gained his equilibrium, and stooped to pick up his fallen burden, while answering.

"I fell over this jacket while trying to give these to you, Master Luke." He placed the hat, parchment and stylus in the hands of the Jedi.

"Indy's hat?" Leia asked.

"Looks like it," Han commented. "What are those?" he pointed to the other two objects that C3PO had given Luke.

"I don't know." Luke put the hat on the holo-chess table and proceeded to examine the parchment and the stylus. "Where'd you find these, 3PO?"

"In the hallway, sir, just outside the cargo bay doors. The stylus and the parchment were under the hat."

"Weird," Han said. "Why would Indy carry those in his hat?"

"Another mystery," Leia said. She reached down and picked the jacket up off of the floor. "I guess this should be put somewhere…" her voice trailed off and she started staring at the jacket again.

"What is it?" Luke asked. Leia turned and placed the jacket on the holo-chess table, next to the hat. She gently spread it out and began to run her hands along the leather. Han and Luke exchanged glances and watched her. As her hand touched a portion of the jacket near the upper right chest, they could hear a soft crinkling sound. She opened the jacket and felt along the lining, when she heard the crinkling sound again, it corresponded with a hidden pocket inside the jacket. Leia opened the pocket and removed a three separate folded pieces of parchment exactly like the one that C3PO had found in Indy's hat. She moved the jacket and hat over to the edge of the table and proceeded to unfold the parchments.

The first one, while white on one side, was red on the other. But it was not fully red. Small circles, lines, dashes, and dots stood out in white, sharply edged in red.

"Is that…?" Luke didn't finish his question. Leia fairly ripped open the next sheet. It was the same, red with white circles, lines, dashes and dots, but arranged in a different pattern. The third one, however, was the most interesting, causing Leia to catch her breath when she opened it. There, in red and white, was a copy of the missing tablet. All the letters were as she could remember them, crystal clear, not smudged in the least, practically perfect. She started to grin.

"They're copies," she said laughing. "He copied the tablets and hid them in his jacket. They were right here all along."

"How did he know that we need these?" Luke asked, relief and bewilderment were scrawled on his face.

"Who cares?" Han asked, laughing as well. "The point is we can go on with the plan." He turned to Leia, "How long until you have that translated?"

DXVJKE

"How long until you can have that translated?" Carron's voice had the slightest twinge of petulance; his dead eyes were laced with anger.

"I'm working on the last few symbols now," Indy said, not even trying to disguise his annoyance. He had been able to hold Carron off for nearly twenty hours since beginning work, but that could only last so long. "You have to be patient, Mr. Carron, this stuff doesn't just jump out and tell you what it says. Most archeologists would take years to try and decipher this; it's a very old language." Carron exhaled angrily, giving Indy the impression that he was treading upon very thin ice. Indy gave the appearance of ignoring the gathering storm and continued to translate the last two symbols. Twenty minutes later, he had finished his translation.

"I think I've got it," he said triumphantly. He sat back in one of the chairs that Carron had provided. Picking up his notebook he began to read the translation of the thousand year old stone.

DXVJKE

"Ready to copy, Luke?" Leia sat at the table and glanced over at her brother. Luke had set up the computer to do a voice recording for them to work on later.

"Just a sec," he fiddled with the controls. "Yeah, okay, we're ready. On my mark...Go."

Leia cleared her throat and began to read at a slow, steady, pace.

"Even thou, oh daughter of loess, who art the least of all the realms of earth and light, art not too small to be forgotten within this endless waltz. For from thy harsh and wasted lands comes the one who brings to us a balance. In the hands of thy roaming child I place the key to mastery; and in his footsteps I set the path that the hungry ones must walk."

DXVJKE

"That's it?" Carron asked at the end.

"Yeah, that's about as close to the vernacular as I can get it." Indy looked up from his notes. "Something wrong, Mr. Carron?"

"There are no coordinates? No system names? Nothing else?" Carron's voice denoted his anger and frustration.

"Nope, nothing else." Indy was almost having fun watching the "art-collector" fuss and fume.

"Then how the Sith do we find the next piece?"

"It's a puzzle," Indy explained as patiently as he would to a two-year-old. "The location to the next piece is found within it. Solve the puzzle and you find the next piece."

DXVJKE

"So where does it lead to?" Han had listened to Leia's voice repeat the tablet's translation over and over and over and over and over again until his ears hurt. But still the most obvious question lay unanswered.

"I have no idea," Leia answered. Her head hurt from thinking about it.

"We sure need Indy on this one," Luke said. "I just hope that he's alright."

DXVJKE

Hmmm...What happens next? Any ideas? Oh, and try to figure out where the next clue is hidden. I think it's quite obvious, but, then again, I came up withit... So I shall give you a clue. Think about the second sentance. That's all. Next chapter should come in a few days, if my new muse is up to speed...  
DarkX


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! I thought that you people would have figured that out by now! Yeesh.

**NOTES to the most EXCELLENT reviewers that an author could ever have:  
****Ms. Pippin Baggins:** You are correct on both accounts,the former more than the latter, whichcould not resist putting in.Thanks for sticking around!  
**Rachel:**SUCH PRAISE! Ooh, now I feel all warm and squishy inside. Thank you. I have way too much to do to write a book, but the thought is very encouraging. Thank you for joining the ranks of reviewers! (oh and there are spelling errors, but only in my notes, because without SpellCheck I would be totally lost)  
**Indeh:** Thank you for the compliment, and for reviewing in the first place. And never keep quiet about knowing something,I intend to make you try and figure out all my clues. It's much more fun that way. Question, Who is "Jay" (Profile)?  
**alhmo3224:**None at all? Well, you shall have to do better. I shall give the answer anyways.  
**The Black Inferno Alchemist:** Thank you and Thank you.  
**Phantom'sJediBandieGirl: **Wouldn't you like to know? More on that later...  
**Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi: **Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, and I read it.  
**Lunatic Pandora1: **THEN TELL ME! Cause I sure don't ;-D Well, maybe I do...  
**Lt. Commander Richie:** You did get it. Though, Mos Iesley would be "osmay iesleyay" (vowelled words don't get switched around, at least, I think they don't...hmmm...)  
**dm 1:** Yes, Yes, and isn't he wonderful?  
Enough Notes Onto the Story:

Chapter 15

Of Dirt, Nomads, Intuition, and Prophecies

Indy lay in the silence of his assigned room, thinking. All of that day's troubles had finally caught up with him; his body was exhausted, but he could not sleep. The words from the tablet were caught in an endless replay in his brain. An unsolved mystery was torment for him. Like a little piece of sand in his eye, it stuck there; it was unseen and irritating but the more he rubbed at it the worse it got. _This is insane._ He sat up, grabbed his notebook and tried to decipher the riddle once again.

"Even thou, Oh daughter of loess…" _Why that word? Loess, hmmm… loess is earth or ... clay. But why not just say clay? Why loess? _He walked over to the small computer terminal mounted in his room. "Computer, give me all meanings of the word 'loess'." The computer pulled up seven hundred sixty-six thousand hits, most about a city named "Loess" somewhere on a planet called Eyowah **(Note below 1)**. Indy growled, scanned through them and decided to do another search. "Computer give me anything about 'loess and rocks'." Two hundred eleven thousand hits pulled up, almost all from geology sights. He was about to close down the search results when a single sight caught his eye. A page put up by the geology organization Briti Shisles held a definition of loess that he had never heard of. "'Loess—sedimentary deposits of fine grained windblown dust **(Note below 2)**'. Sand? Loess means sand…Hmm. That might fit." He glanced back at the rest of the riddle. "Harsh and wasted lands… a desert?" _A desert…_ he made a small note next to the first line.

"Who art the smallest of all the realms of earth and light." _A small desert world…_ "Computer, search for small desert worlds." The computer twitched and brought up six hundred and eleven desert worlds. _Too many…there has to be another clue. Maybe it's small in importance…_ "Computer, search for out of the way desert worlds." Two hits. "What do we have here?" The first hit was for the planet Geonosis. "'An eerie world, Geonosis is marked by spectacular yet uninviting vistas. Radiation storms occasionally blast the surface, driving life-forms underground for protection **(Note below 3)**.' No that won't work." _The riddle mentions wanderers. If the inhabitants on that world need to live underground they wouldn't be able to wander… what else?_ Tatooine, the second hit, proved more interesting. "'Tatooine has a seemingly endless desert environment cooked by the intense energy of twin yellow suns. Rocky mesas, canyons and arroyos break up the monotony of kilometers of shifting dunes.' Well, that's certainly a desert world. Hot days, cold nights…sounds pretty dead. What's this? 'Tuskan Raiders?' What's a Tusken Raider? **(Note below 4)**"

"Computer, search for Tuskan Raiders." One hit. "Not much info. Let's see." He pulled it up and began to search through it. There wasn't much. "'So dangerous are the Tusken Raiders that few xenobiologists are brave enough to venture close to them. What little information that exists on the nomadic brutes is often contradictory and incomplete…' Nomads? 'Colonists had already established … outpost was Fort Tusken, …The settlers inadvertently constructed their fort on land sacred to the nomads.' Sacred? That's interesting. 'The resulting Sand People attack was brutal. The name Tusken Raider…indelible outcomes of that bloody day.' **(Note below 5).**" _Nomads on a desert world. Fits the description._ He started pacing through the small room. Thoughts were running through his head at an insanely fast pace.

_If this refers to the planet Tatooine, then these Tusken Raiders have to be the wanderer that is mentioned. Wandering children. What's this key to mastery? And who's this one who brings balance?_ He yawned. Exhaustion had finally crept into his mind. _I've gotta get some sleep, I'll tell Carron what I've got in the morning._ He flopped down on the bed; sleep came instantly.

DXVJKE

Han was quickly coming to realize that this whole "treasure hunt" was nothing but a big headache. The Falcon was still sitting on the surface of the moon, while Luke and Leia tried to figure out the clue. Clues, he snorted. _We're here, wasting valuable time to find a place that doesn't exist. This is so stupid. _But Leia believed Luke, and Han loved Leia, so Han stayed and kept his opinions to himself, mostly. The hardest part about this whole mission was the fact that he felt totally inadequate and unable to control the situation. Attacking the Empire, when it was in power, was more up his alley, as was smuggling, finagling, and charming his way out of situations. But trying to figure out clues and solve puzzles was not in his league. He felt unusable, and he didn't like it. Right now, life seemed better back when he was still a pirate. _But where would I be now? Probably still spice running for Jabba back on Tatooine._ He froze. The word Tatooine hit his mind like a lightning bolt. _That's it. That's the key to the puzzle._ Han jumped out of his chair on the bridge and raced into the living area.

"LUKE! LEIA! I've got it!" The twins turned to face the seemingly raving pirate with a curious expression mirrored on their faces.

"What is it?" Leia asked, calm if a little bit skeptical.

"Tatooine. The clue leads to Tatooine."

"What makes you so sure?" Worry had crept into Leia's voice. Han was acting like a lunatic.

"I have absolutely no idea. I just know that it's down there." Now Leia was really worried. Han never acted like this. She turned to Luke, asking him with her eyes to try and talk some sense into Han. Only Luke seemed a million miles away.

"Luke?"

"He's right. We have to go to Tatooine."

"What? Why?" Now they were both acting crazy.

"It fits. Look, harsh wasted lands, how else can you describe Tatooine? The wanderers are the Sand People."

"But there could be hundreds of desert worlds with nomadic tribes." Leia was trying desperately to voice some reason.

"Yeah, but one that is viewed as less than other planets? Tatooine is one of the poorest out there, I lived there I know. But that isn't the reason that it fits. Look at the second line. 'For from thy harsh and wasted lands comes the one who brings to us a balance.'" Luke was triumphant; everything was falling into place.

"So?"

"Don't you get it? That's the prophecy about our father."

"What?" Leia still didn't understand.

"Before he became Darth Vader, our father was Anakin Skywalker."

"I know that," she said impatiently.

"Anakin was born on Tatooine. There was a prophecy that a child would be born who would bring balance to the Force; that was Anakin. That's why it fits." Luke could see that Leia still didn't get it, and now Han was looking confused.

"Balance?"

"Yes, when Vader killed the Emperor, he destroyed the last of the Sith, who were a division of the Jedi. By killing the last of them, the Force was no longer divided but restored to balance."

"Wait," Han got that quizzical look on his face. "I thought you said that there was another Sith running around. How could your dad be this balance dude if there's still a division in the Force?" Leia turned to Han, utter amazement plastered on her face.

"I thought that you don't believe in the Force."

"I don't. But that explanation has holes in it big enough to fly a Star Destroyer through." He looked expectantly back at Luke.

"I can't explain that. I just know that what we're looking for is on Tatooine."

"But what if it isn't? What if Indy found that it leads to a different planet and we aren't here in time to save him? How can you be certain?"

"I can't. I just have to trust that this is the way. I feel that this is right."

"What do you say, Han?" The pirate shrugged.

"Well, his feelings saved your rebellion on more than one occasion. I call it intuition, and I think that we should go with it." Leia sighed.

"Alright, let's go."

**Notes: **Yes, I preformed all the searches listed above. Thanks to Google, British Isles Natural History, and the Star Wars Databank. I do not own any of this. NOT MINE! Got it? Don't sue me; I did not plagiarize. I cited everything, it's all here and was all accessed between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m., GMT, 21 January 2006. You can check my information at the sites below:

(1) http/ 

(2) http/ 

(3)http/ 

(4) http/ 

(5) http/ 

**More Notes: **Sorry this is so short. I tried to go into the next section of the story, but it just didn't flow right. So, I hope y'all stick around for a bit, the next chapter is gonna be really cool, if I can pull it off correctly. Reviews are welcomed. (Y'all still haven't told me who you think my muses are!) Also, try the links above, they bring up some fun stuff for all you trivia-junkies out there.  
Dark X


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Star Wars...yadayadayada...Don't own Indy...yadayadayada...Do own Carron...yadayadayada...you get the picture...Don't sue me!

**NOTES, and there are alot of them, so bear with me...**

**Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi:** It's okay, and thanks, and GREAT NEW CHAPTER FOR IDOTS!  
**Han-Skywalker:**Um...Thanks, Okay, No, Thanks, Thanks again, well, kinda, Thanks once again.  
**Ms. pippin baggins:** Google? now where did you get an idea like that? ;-P I have no idea what they call it...and you don't have to wait any longer...  
**Indeh** Yes. Thank you. Okay.  
**Lunatic Pandora1** Han? Force sensative? pardon me but...HAHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA that's a great idea!  
**Phantom'sJediBandieGirl** Thank you and it is...  
**RavenRulzRF** That's okay...and I have.  
**The Black Inferno Alchemist:** Thank you.

Right, unless y'all have fabulous memories and can recall what you wrote, that probably made as much sense as either the Nazi's winning or Han with Force powers (Pardon me again, Lunatic Pandora1, but, HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. man that is great, i have to find a way to work that in somehow...). K, I'll shut up now and get on with the story...

Chapter 16

Race

"Araaaaaah EEEEohrrrnnn uuna."

"But with Jabba dead it shouldn't be that dangerous. Relax Chewie, I know what I'm doing."

"EOORRRVVnnnn."

"HEY! Ya big lunk, this is me we're talking about, remember? No one's after us anymore, no one's gonna attack us, and NO one's gonna take the Falcon. Just calm down." The Millennium Falcon had just come out of hyperspace and was about to land on Tatooine when Chewbacca had first voiced his apprehension of this plan. "If it makes you feel any better, you can stay with the Falcon in Mos Eisley."

"AAAAH-orrNN."

"Then quit complaining."

DXVJKE

"My Lord," the Storm Trooper entered the room and addressed Carron. "Sir, we have reached Tatooine and established orbit. Your shuttle is ready for take off." Carron nodded and the Trooper bowed and left. Indy was making some careful notations in his notebook about the placement of a few marks. He waited until the Trooper exited to address his "host".

"Why do they do that?" Carron turned and cocked his head slightly.

"Do what, Dr. Jones?"

"Call you 'My Lord'. Seems an odd title for an art collector." Indy glanced up to judge how his remarks played across Carron's face. There was nothing.

"It is not a title. Storm Troopers always call their leaders "lord". It is part of their training." Indy nodded and turned back to work, then, after a carefully timed pause, looked back up.

"How exactly did they come into your service anyhow?" Still no reaction. _Is this guy made of stone or something?_

"After the fall of the Empire, they had no employment. The new Republic had no desire to keep them, thought that they were still too connected with the Empire. But, they are still men, and men need to eat. Battalions were up for hire and I have a need for a security force to protect what I own, so I hired a thousand or so. What's the matter, Doctor, do they frighten you?" Indy bristled inwardly at the remark.

"No, they just seemed a little out of place. And you know how much I dislike puzzles." Carron gave that snake like smile again.

"Of course." He paused. "Are you ready to go, Dr. Jones?"

"In just a minute, I need to wrap these up." Carron started.

"Wrap them? Whatever for?" Indy now had to play his cards very carefully.

"To take them down to the planet, of course. We may need them." Carron looked slightly perplexed; the only emotion that Indy had seen on his face so far. "Look, to open the grave to get the first clue, I needed the corner piece. It was a key. So, maybe these tablets are keys as well. See these grooves," he indicated two faint lines running down the back side of all three tablets "they may fit into a slot of some kind. And I don't want to have to come all the way back to the ship if we can just take these with us." Carron hesitated, as if uncertain whether to believe the archeologist or not. Indy mentally counted down the seconds, it was getting to long, Carron wasn't buying it.

"Alright, but wrap them well. I can't allow them to be damaged."

DXVJKE

"Master Luke, I believe it would be best if R2 and I remained to watch the ship." The Falcon had landed in Mos Eisley, docked and was waiting in an enclosed hangar while her occupants made ready to depart into the desert heat. Han was all for the idea of leaving the droids in the Falcon, but Luke was a little more reserved. He had hoped of getting R2 to help Indy when they got to the site, but transporting two droids through the desert didn't seem to be right, especially if they were going to meet up with the sand people. Luke agreed, thus C3PO and R2D2 locked up the Millennium Falcon as the others ventured into the spaceport.

Transportation was the main problem to be dealt with. Knowing that they were about to deal with the Sand People meant getting a relatively worthless form of transportation. But it also had to be insanely fast and maneuverable if they were to escape the ARC Elite Troopers with their lives.

"Any suggestions as to what we should get?" Han was the authority when it came to any form of spacecraft, but getting something that would withstand the desert storms of Tatooine was outside his range of knowledge.

"Yeah, we need a decent T16 Skyhopper. But it'll cost us."

"Don't worry about that, Luke," Leia said. "Get us a good one, and I'll have the Republic pick up the check." She grinned.

Four hours and thirty-five hundred credits later they were in possession of what Luke considered one of the best desert crafts available. The T16 was on the edge of the city but it didn't take long to get to it. It was pretty old. It's once gray gunmetal sides were faded a rust-ish brown, sand was caked in it's sides, and the interior was anything but comfortable. But it was cheap and it was fast and at the moment that was all that mattered. After viewing the T16, Han was beginning to doubt the plan.

"So lemme get this straight." He halted the group just before they entered the T16. "We're gonna go out into that…desert, hunt for a group of bloodthirsty, xenophobic, nomadic Sand People who will probably kill us, convince them to lead us to an artifact that we're not really sure is here, and get a hold of it without dying?"

"Umm…" Luke was about to answer, when something caught his attention.

Swooping majestically over the outline of Mos Eisley, three ships raced towards them, one was an Imperial Lambda-class shuttle the other two were TIE-interceptors. The three were flying on a slow entry vector, suggesting that either they were about to land or they looking for something. As they raced by, a symbol on the bottom of the Shuttle could be picked out: the red and blue pyramidal icon of the ARC troopers.

"Is that…?"

"Yeah."

"Then that means…"

"Yeah."

"So we could…"

"Yeah. New plan."

DXVJKE

"Alright, Dr. Jones. Please tell me again why we are going to the ruins of a city on a planet in the middle of nowhere?" Carron was getting snippier all the time and it was really grating on Indy's nerves.

"Well it's not like they're going to hide a valuable piece of an ancient puzzle in a modern city where anyone could get it." They were sitting in the cargo hold of the shuttle that had transported them to Tatooine. Twenty of the Elite Troopers were seated against the walls behind them. In the middle, bolted to the floor, was a cargo chest with the tablets inside.

"But the Sand People? They are ruthless murderers. They kill anyone who's stupid enough to try and come near them."

"Exactly," Indy smiled slightly. "Who better to hide something like that," he nodded towards the chest, "than a ruthless bunch of xenophobes?"

"But what makes you so sure that it's with them?" Indy pulled his journal out of his bag and flipped to the page with the second riddle.

"' In the hands of thy roaming child I place the key to mastery; and in his footsteps I set the path that the hungry ones must walk'. The Sand People are the only nomads on this planet, which qualifies them as 'roaming' children. Also, when Duo gave the key from the first puzzle to his apprentice, he called it the 'first step on the road to power'. Look at the way that this text is set up, 'I set the path that the hungry ones must walk', it could be another reference to a road or a continuation of the road that Duo was talking about. Then there's this reference to the 'key to mastery', which could be a repetition of Duo's key. The Sand People have it, alright."

"Then why are we going to a deserted city?"

"The abandoned Fort Tuskan was attacked by the Sand People because it was built on ground that they consider to be 'holy'."

"So?" Indy sighed. _If this guy is an art collector, he knows jack about relics_.

"If you had to hide something that you considered to be highly dangerous, and you had to hide if for hundreds or even thousands of years or longer, where would you put it so that no one would ever try to get their hands on it?"

"I would blast it into space and let it drift for eternity."

"But someone could inadvertently collect it out of space, or it could fall to a planet."

"Then I would bury it."

"Someone would dig it up."

"Not if I wrote that this was very dangerous."

"Writing changes. What if between the time of your writing and them digging it up, people forget what language you wrote in, or even what writing is? What then?"

"I…" Carron paused, and then smiled, which sickened Indy. "I would make a religion surrounding where I buried the object so that no one would ever dare to dig it up."

"Right. And if the people who believed in that religion were fanatically devoted to it, then they would vigorously guard the sight, and no one would dare approach it for fear of being killed."

"You're saying that the fact that the Sand People guard this place for religious reasons means that whatever we're looking for is there?"

"Yeah, that's my theory."

"But how did…I mean how could…how…"

"Did it get there?" Indy shrugged. "I have some ideas, but nothing definite. First, the land could have been holy to the Sand People already and the Jedi who planted the clue here could have just snuck in and buried it. But then the Sand People could have dug it up and chucked it aside.

"Second, the Sand People could have taken it from the Jedi in some kind of historical battle on that ground and it was kept there as a monument to their triumph. But there are no records of any Jedi being defeated by ordinary means.

"Or third, and I think that this is the most logical, the Jedi could have explained to the Sand People exactly what this clue was and where it led to and why it must be kept hidden and just asked them to hide it."

"Wait, how could anyone accomplish that?"

"From what I've read of the Jedi, they had some kind of telekinesis that enabled them to do extraordinary things. A deeply religious culture, like the Sand People's, might have held the Jedi as some kind of god, and would have immediately obeyed anything that he told them."

"So some Jedi just came amongst the Sand People, told them he was a god and that they were to bury a rock in the desert and guard it for eternity and they did it?"

"Yeah." Carron scowled, trying to digest this. He looked as though he were about to say something when the pilot turned.

"My Lord? We are approaching the ruins of Fort Tuskan."

DXVJKE

"Why the Sith are they coming here?" Luke, who was trying to pilot the T16 close enough to the Imperial shuttle to stay in contact with it and far enough away so that they wouldn't be seen, didn't answer Han's question.

"Where are we?" Leia looked thoroughly confused about the whole ordeal.

"At the ruins of an ancient settlement called Fort Tuskan."

"'Tuskan'? As in 'Tuskan Raiders'?"

"Where do you think that they got the name?" Luke muttered.

"I don't understand."

"Well," Han said, "I only know the rumors, but Fort Tuskan was a small city that some early miners built to be an extension of Mos Eisley. Halfway through building it, the Sand People attacked and massacred the settlers. Only a handful survived to tell about it."

"That's awful. Why did they do that?"

"It's supposed to be some kind of sacred ground." Luke piloted the T16 on an low vector, hiding it behind a sand dune out of sight of the Imperial shuttle. He turned around.

"Right, let's go."

DXVJKE

The ruins were dead. There was no other way to describe them. Large blocks of what looked like sandstone rose out of the desert, clawing at the sky and demanding to be separate from the dust that threatened to consume them. The sand had piled around the foundations of the sun-scorched stone, covering some areas, and nonexistent in others. Indy surveyed the ruins and the desert around them, the scalding heat was as dry and as dead as the stones he was supposed to be searching through. _This place looks too much like Egypt. No Nazis, though. I just have to deal with those guys_. The ARC Troopers were patrolling the edges of the ruins to keep the Sand People out_. Or me in._ He shook his head and began to make his way to what appeared to be the center of the ruins.

Fort Tuskan had been built in a wheel shape; the walls formed the rim with streets making spokes into the center. There, rising up above the fallen buildings and sand, was a monolith. Doing some quick estimations in his head, Indy approximated it to be nearly sixty feet high and twenty feet across its thickest point. The main city center had been built around the rock, making it look like a keep from some medieval castle that he had gone crawling through as a boy. _What a better place to keep a treasure than in a castle?_

Carron and four of the ARC troopers were already at the base of the monolith, waiting for him to come. Also there was the chest with the three pieces of stone in them. Indy was circling the rock, noticing that here and there were fingers of stone jutting out from the sand. _There was a wall around this once. Looks like someone took the liberty of destroying it._ He continued to circle the rock, pausing here and there to make some notes in his journal. When he reached the far side of the monolith, he stopped and sat in the sand to think. Indy didn't like thinking around Carron; he was too focused on not letting anything slip to really puzzle something out. And this problem needed a lot of puzzling.

He had been so sure that this was where the next clue was that not finding it was stumping him immensely. He kept going over the clue in his mind, but it always led him to the same place: here at this monolith. _It doesn't make sense. This rock is the only thing here that wasn't a part of the original settlement._ He sighed. _It would have to be accessible in case the Jedi ever wanted to come back. _Then he paused as a new thought popped into his head. _If they wanted to come back, then the entrance would be hidden where no one would think of looking. Like on top of something._

DXVJKE

It was really hard trying to sneak through sand. Especially when the people that you are sneaking up on are ARC Troopers and have most excellent aim. Especially when the members who are doing the sneaking include a princess, a pirate, and a wookie, all of which either know nothing about desert survival or hate sand. Luke was laying at the top of the sand dune that was closest to the ruins, trying to figure out the quickest and most protective route down. So far he had seen four ARC Troopers on this side of the city, and at least as many if not more in the interior. _This is not going to be easy_. Han and Leia were a meter below him, also lying on the dune, with Chewie at the bottom, thoroughly displeased.

"What's the plan?" Han had apparently moved closer to the crest.

"We wait until the troopers are as far away from each other as possible and then make a break for it."

"You call THAT a plan?" Han's tone was anything but reassuring.

"You got anything better?" Luke was trying to focus himself in the Force to know the perfect time and having a pessimistic pirate was not helping matters. Han kept silent. Luke felt a gentle tug within him; the time was coming.

"Get Leia and Chewie up here. We're going soon."

"How can you be so sure that now's a good time?" Luke turned and gave his friend his I'm-a-Jedi-and-I-know-what-I'm-doing look, which seemed to work. "Okay fine."

A few moments later Leia and Chewbacca were crouched in the sand, all four of them were taught with anticipation. Luke was beginning to doubt his feelings; the ARC Troopers didn't look like they were going anywhere anytime soon. He was about to give up when he felt that tug.

"Go." He jumped up and raced down the dune, the others at his heels. At first they were certain that the Troopers were going to see them, but the moment they began the descent, the Troopers turned towards the center of the ruins and paid no attention to the three humans and one wookie racing towards them at breakneck speed. Luke was the first to the ruins; he hopped over a chunk of wall, dove into a corner and waited, willing his breathing to be slow. Leia and Han were the next behind him with Chewie bringing up the rear. They waited in the ruined corner, temporarily screened from the ARC Troopers. No one dared to breathe or speak, and a pregnant silence descended.

DXVJKE

Indy coiled the rope around his gloved hands and was about to begin climbing when Carron once again voiced his complaint.

"I think that this is utterly ridiculous. If that rope doesn't hold, you'll fall and break your neck."

"It'll hold, just calm down."

"But—."

"Look, Mr. Carron. You want me to find these pieces? Then shut up and let me do my job. Okay?" He reworked his grasp on the rope, gingerly planted his feet on the stone and began to pull himself up the surface of the monolith. When Indy had first informed Carron of his theory that the door was at the top of the rock, Carron had gone ballistic. Indy knew that this guy was high strung, but Carron's tone of voice and manners showed how much Indy's first thoughts of him were understatements. The outrage in Carron's voice was so great that it attracted the attention of the ARC Troopers in the vicinity. Indy shook those thoughts, and the questions that they raised, out of his head and focused on climbing the rock.

He had used the rope he always carried in his bag, coupled with a grappling hook from one of the Troopers, and latched it over the top of the monolith, making an impromptu ladder a great deal safer than what he was accustomed to using. Climbing was easy enough, like a reverse of repelling, and in a few minutes he had ascended to the top of the boulder. The rock's summit was a three-foot by three-foot rounded square, giving him barely enough room to work without falling off. He started brushing stray sand off of the top of the rock, looking for any unnatural cracks in the surface. In the exact middle, he found one, an odd one. It was an inch wide and nearly six inches long. _Those dimensions sound familiar_. He knelt and began to scoop the out of the crack the sand that had accumulated over the years. He leaned over the top of the rock and tossed the spare end of his rope down the side.

"Hey, can you send up the smallest of the tablets? Tie it to the rope." He watched as one of the ARC Troopers opened the chest, removed the requested tablet, wrapped it, tied it to the rope and stood back. Indy stretched his arm out parallel to the ground to keep the tablet from bumping against the side of the rock and gently pulled upward. He continued to remove the sand as deep as he could reach before unwrapping the tablet. He took the granite slab and gently eyed its position. The crack had two raised ridges along one of its longer sides. They corresponded with the two grooves in the backside of the tablet. He gently fitted groove to ridge and lowered the tablet into the crack. It made a gentle grinding sound as it slid down. _Nothing to be worried about_. Indy waited for the familiar click that came after fitting any solid object into a slit, but it didn't come.

The thin slab continued to sink down inside the obelisk, which began to grumble. The vibrations coming from the rock increased to a level that would have made the San-Andreas-fault jealous. Indy was staring at the crack, which was slowly widening beneath his feet. The top of the obelisk was splitting apart, but the base remained solid. Indy carefully balanced himself on the edge of the unfolding sides. The shaking slowly came to a halt and Indy slid down to the inside.

The strong light from the twin suns illuminated the inside of the obelisk, allowing Indy to see inside of it. His feet were not on the foundation of sand that he expected but on stairs. He reached into his pocket and yanked out his lighter, lit it, and began to wander down the stairs. Two steps down and he found the granite slab, undamaged, and put it into his bag. The light of the small fire glinted off the sand colored walls as he went deeper and deeper underground. He almost tripped over the torch at the bottom of the stairs, before scooping it up and lighting it. The flickering firelight exposed a cavern of immense proportions, not so much tall as long.

The walls were covered in delicate carvings, from floor to ceiling, colored in red, black, yellow, and brown. Indy's archeological training got the better of his desire to move forward, and he began to study the carvings. Each picture had been carefully scraped out of the sandstone and filled with earth-toned pigments to make it realistic. They were read in long bands, beginning on the right side near the floor, stretching across the ceiling and ending at the floor on the left. The majority of carvings near the entrance were of nothing but Sand People (yellow toned), Banthas (also yellow), and the canyons and deserts where they lived (brown). Further down the wall, another figure appeared. He was markedly different from the Sand People, triangular in shape as opposed to their oblong bodies; he came astride a black Bantha and was always colored dark, dark, brown. The first band of pictures told of his coming, on the black Bantha, and how he offered no resistance to the Sand People who captured him. The second band displayed that he was a mighty warrior, fighting off what looked like a dragon (red), and healing many of the Sand People whom the dragon attacked. The brown figure was accepted as a holy man, and he lived a long time with the Sand People. The third band showed that the black Bantha died of illness and age, and the holy man was saddened. He shaved the Bantha, wove its hair into a blanket and tore the blanket in half. One half he gave to the chief of the Sand People, the other half he took and left.

Five bands passed, which Indy breezed over, they were pictures of dragon hunts, migrations, festivals and the like. The sixth band showed that the brown figure came back, wrapped in the black blanket. There was a new chief, but the brown figure was accepted once the two halves of the blanket were reunited, proving that the brown figure was the holy man of old. This time the holy man brought gifts, each one was carved more intricately than the other figures, suggesting that they were of great importance.

The first gift was a set of three pots, one was filled with green powder, one was filled with blue powder, and the third was filled with white. Apparently the Sand People were greatly pleased with these gifts. The second gift was a scroll, decorated in pictures, which gave the Sand People the remedies that the holy man used to heal them after the dragon attack. The scroll was copied in the next two bands, Indy studied them and saw that they were differentminerals and plants, natural things that the Sand People could find and use with great frequency. The third gift was a circular stone with small carvings on it and a green jewel in the center (which was copied perfectly on the wall, including the green pigment of the jewel). The stone was wrapped in the holy man's half of the blanket.

The holy man was showed to tell the Sand People that this stone was to stay in the hall of records until one like him came to get it. The pictures showed that the stone, paint, and scroll was taken down inside the hall of records and hidden in chamber at the end of the hall. The holy man then used his divine magic to move a massive stone overtop the entrance to the hall. He then instructed the Sand People to carve a keyhole and mechanism to open the entrance. He carved two keys out of white stone, and gave one to the Sand People and one he took with him. There was a huge feast after the "door" was completed, and then the holy man left. Indy kept walking down the corridor, but the holy man was never represented again.

Indy did learn of the Sand People's side of the raid on Fort Tuskan. Because the Fort was built around the entrance to the hall of records, the Sand People were worried that the invaders (painted in red) were going to find the entrance to the hall and take the gifts that the holy man had given them. They conquered the invaders and offered a truce to them through the mates of five of the chiefs; but the invaders were treacherous, killing the emissaries, stripping them of their masks, and renewing the war. The Sand People saw the invaders as barbarians for looking on the faces of their bond mates, and utterly slaughtered them. The Fort was laid in waste, and the invaders were shown to never come near the Sand People, or the hall of records, again. The rest of the hall was filled with religious rights, the changing of chiefs, years of famine, years of abundance, and the typical migration patterns of the Sand People. Indy only glanced over the rest, for the end of the hall had caught his eye.

There were three rooms branching off the end. The one on the right and the one on the left led to side passages were more of the pictorial history was kept. The one in the center held the three gifts. The pots of green, blue, and white powder were still mostly filled, as they were colors reserved for only the most special of occasions. The scroll was made of velum, and perfectly preserved in the arid desert environment and the darkness of the cave. In the center, sitting on the blanket of black Bantha hair, was a granite disk with the same writing as that of the other clues. In the center was perhaps the most beautiful and perfect emerald that Indy had ever laid eyes upon. It was clear as air and as green as the grass of Ireland, flawless and about the size of an American quarter. Indy gently picked the disk up and, pulling out a piece of oilcloth, carefully wrapped it, before putting it in his bag. _Time to get back up there._

DXVJKE

Okay, there you have it. Hope you like it.Hope you can wait because I don't think that I'll be able to get the next chapter online for at least a week if not longer (FOUR BLOODY TESTS TO TAKE THIS WEEK ARRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!).Right. Please review. Later...  
DarkX


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **You should understand this by now so I'm not gonna say anything... oh, I don't own any of the ARC Troopers, ship designs, ect. Carron and Corban are mine. AndI made the designations in the first couple of parts up...

**Notes: **There are a lot of them, so bear with me...

**Karlina Ellison** Gosh you wrote alot, so I'm only gonna breifly touch on what you said...um...yeah, I know that about the Earth thing, (so you're a Star Trek fan too? YAY!)...not sure I understand the RobinHood review...I was bummed about the links, too...and me and anthropology major? um, no. (actually my career choice in life is to get married, have lots of children and either teach Kindergarten or teach Highschool Math). all I know about anthropology/archeology comes from Indianna Jones and Daniel Jackson (Stargate SG-1), but if you think that I am one, then I guess I'm succeeding in my attempts to make Indy really life-like. Thank you for the praise and for joining the reviewers, hope to hear from you more...  
**eris86** Thank you, thank you, thank you. and maybe, who really knows? it would be an interesting plot twist and I HAVE to figure a way to put it in...  
**Lunatic Pandora1:** It would be funny,I agree. and your comment about Han's and Luke's conversation had me in stitches for about ten minutes. thanks for the good laugh, and I'm gonna try to make it work somehow...  
**Rachel:** Such Praise! So happy (does Happy Dance). Book? Me? no, don't have the time or patience (though getting paid to blabber on about my favorite characters would be wickedly cool...) thanks for the happy review (and for joining the reviewer list!)  
**Lt. Commander Richie** I HATE TESTS! but they're over, so i'm happy. thanks for the review.  
**Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi** Oooooh is there gonna be a party? i love parties (as long as there's lots and lots of chocolate ;-P ) Thanks for reviewing, can't wait for more Idiots...  
**RavenRulzRF** Yeah, but they are necessary evils (like politicians...). Thanks for Reviewing!  
**Indeh: **Found time, did update, thanks for reviewing.

Gosh you wrote alot, so I'm only gonna breifly touch on what you said...um...yeah, I know that about the Earth, (so you're a Star Trek fan too? YAY!)...not sure I understand the RobinHood review...I was bummed about the links, too...and me and anthropology major? um, no. (actually my career choice in life is to get married, have lots of children and either teach Kindergarten or teach Highschool Math) allI know about anthropology/archeology comes from Indianna Jones and Daniel Jackson (Stargate SG-1), but if you think that I am one, then I guess I'm succeeding in my attempts to make Indy really life-like. Thank you for the praise and for joining the reviewers, hope to hear from you more...Thank you, thank you, thank you. and maybe, who really knows? it would be an interesting plot twist and I HAVE to figure a way to put it in... It would be funny,I agree. and your comment about Han's and Luke's conversation had me in stitches for about ten minutes. thanks for the good laugh, and I'm gonna try to make it work somehow... Such Praise! So happy (does Happy Dance). Book? Me? no, don't have the time or patience (though getting paid to blaber on about my favorite characters would be wickedly cool...) thanks for the happy review (and for joining the reviewer list!) I HATE TESTS! but they're over, so i'm happy. thanks for the review. Oooooh is there gonna be a party? i love parties (as long as there's lots and lots of chocolate ;-P ) Thanks for reviewing, can't wait for more Idiots... Yeah, but they are necessary evils (like politicians...). Thanks for Reviewing!Found time, did update, thanks for reviewing. 

Okay, time for the next chapter, with a few twists and some suspicions confirmed...

Chapter 17

Many Meetings

ARC Trooper 16A12 had been in this business for a very long time. He had finished his training at the cloning center at the very end of the Clone Wars, giving him little experience in the way of guerilla warfare, but it did enable him to be of service in the old Empire. 16 was given a command rank in the first week in his service, and had led his team in and out of the most dangerous missions that the Emperor could devise. He was always victorious, always, and was of the opinion that, if he had been in charge of the attack on the Rebels, the Empire would have never fallen. He was not proud, just completely assured of his abilities. Just before the Empire fell, he and his team were ordered to the nearly dead world of Corescant to serve one of the last generals of the Empire, Alsuice Carron. The Rebellion had never attacked Carron, giving him and his troops time to search for this "Lost Valley". 16 was of the firm opinion that the Valley was a myth, but he was trained to NEVER EVER disobey a superior's orders no matter what the circumstances. So he had been sent to retrieve a few chunks of rock and an archeologist from some pirate's ship and do no damage to the ship or the crew. Now he was standing out in the desert, staring at a rock, and trying to keep his men from committing mutiny. It was not his day and it was only getting worse.

DXVJKE

ARC Trooper 122D14S was patrolling the western border of the ruins with his closest comrade, 117J24B. The heat from the planet's twin suns was unbearable, and all 122 wanted was to get back into the cool of the Star Destroyer that was circling this dead hunk of sand. There was far too much sand, in 122's opinion, and it got everywhere. There was sand in his helmet, sand in his shoes, sand in his gloves, sand in his elbow joints, sand in all his joints to be precise, sand in his gun, sand in his belt, and even sand in his helmet. Somehow the sand in his helmet was moving, because he saw a faintly sand colored blurb move, and the heat made him believe that the blurb was actually moving toward 117. It wasn't until he saw 117 collapse with a blaster mark in his stomach that 122 realized that the blurb was not the ubiquitous sand but an attack of some kind. He had little time for this to register, though, for in a moment he was copying his friend on the ground.

DXVJKE

16 felt wrong. He didn't know why, but something wasn't right in this situation. He demanded that all of his patrols report in, which they did, mostly. The western patrol was refusing his communiqué, and 16's fear became almost palpable. He ordered all his forces to get as close to the center of the Fort as they could as fast as they could. And in a few moments, some twenty Troopers were gathered in three tight concentric rings around the rock. Lord Carron did not seem to notice this maneuver, as he was still focused almost obsessively on the rock. 16 decided that now was a good time to take command of the situation, and did so.

DXVJKE

"Did you hear something?" Han's question only got an order to "SSHHHH!" coming from two of his three friends. Luke was in some kind of trance ever since the earthquake that they had felt twenty minutes ago, Leia was trying to keep everybody out of sight and hearing of the Troopers, Chewie was trying not to complain about all the sand, and Han was risking all their necks by constantly checking the positions of the Troopers. He did this once again when no one would answer his question, and saw that the Troopers they had evaded earlier were running toward the center of the ruins.

"I think something's going on, Leia." They began to have a whispered conversation.

"Will you be quiet, Han? Or do you want to get us all killed."

"But they're not here." He insisted.

"What do you mean?"

"I just saw the Troopers moving away from us. They're not there anymore." She cautiously peeked above the lip of the ruins that they were crouching behind and saw that Han was right.

"I think something's going on," was her diagnosis of the situation.

"I just said tha—."

"SSHH!" She cocked her head to the side. "Do you hear something?"

DXVJKE

16 had set two of his snipers on top of a dune of sand that had built up on the eastern side to see what was going on. The report that they gave him was anything but encouraging. Sand People were coming, nearly a thousand of them on Banthas, and they were moving fast. 16 climbed up beside his snipers and scanned the area only to find that the report was too true. Hundreds of Banthas were racing down the dunes from the north and western sides of the town and would be on them within a few minutes. 16 could feel the thunder of them running, and immediately ordered his snipers to begin killing as many of the Sand People as they could. Red energy bolts obediently began to lance out from the top of the dune, taking out Bantha after Bantha after Bantha, but still they came. It was going to be one hell of a fight.

DXVJKE

Han risked standing up with Luke's field glasses to get an idea of what was going on. He was only up for two seconds, before dropping down and yanking his pistol out of its holster.

"What is it?" Worry was evident in Leia's voice, as she also drew her gun.

"Sand People, hundreds of them, west slope, coming this way. We've got to get Indy and we need to get out of here."

"How?"

"Get Luke back to the T16 and have it ready to go. Chewie and me'll go to the center of the ruins and see if we can spot Indy."

"No, I'm coming too."

"Leia, please, we need the T16 ready and Luke's in no condition to fly." He looked over at the Jedi. Luke looked as though he was on drugs; his eyes were glazed over and his face was completely relaxed. "You HAVE to do this. Please." Leia looked from her drugged brother to Han and then gave him her gun.

"You'll need this." She leaned over and kissed him. "Don't do anything stupid."

Han grinned, "Hey, this is me."

"I know, that's why I said it." She leaned down and grabbed Luke's arm, hoisting him up and began to get struggle up the sand dune before Han could answer. He watched her go and smiled. _I've got the best girl in the galaxy..._

"Right, Chewie, let's do this."

DXVJKE

Luke was having a very weird dream and he can't remember ever falling asleep. He had heard and felt a massive earthquake, but that was the last thing that he could remember. He had closed his eyes against the massive cloud of dust that was thrown up due to the earthquake, but when he opened them, something was different. The ruins, the Troopers, Han, Leia, and Chewie were all gone. And the landscape changed. No longer were there huge banks of sand behind him, but a level plain, and it was filled with Banthas. He felt fear grip his stomach as he saw the hundreds upon hundreds of Sand People around him. They were moving towards and away from a huge bonfire that was about thirty yards away from him. The fire cast eerie shadows around him, and Luke was worried that he would be seen. But the Sand People didn't come anywhere near him, they passed around him without a second glance, and that was when Luke got the impression that he was dreaming.

He felt drawn to the fire and, standing up from the sand, began to move. Still the Sand People ignored him, and he passed unhindered to the center of the mass. There, next to the fire, was a hole surrounded by three figures. Two were Sand People dressed in the desert garb, but one was covered with gold and jewels and the other held an elaborately carved gaffastick and was draped in a black cloak. The third figure was taller than the Sand People and cloaked in dark brown. There was something familiar to the stance of the figure, but Luke couldn't quite place it. He saw the Brown Man give things to the Sand People, and how the crowd of nomads around him reacted with what could only be described as joy.

The Brown Man said something to the Sand People and the two close to him went down into the hole, leaving the Brown Man alone. Then, he did something completely unexpected. The Brown Man turned and walked over to Luke and began to speak.

"Do you recognize this place?" Luke was so used to people ignoring him that it took a while for him to realize that the Brown Man was talking to him.

"What?"

"I said, do you recognize this place, Luke?" The Brown Man removed his hood, revealing his rather young face. He had jet-black hair, deeply tanned skin and a mouth curved in a faint smile.

"No…do I know…?" His gray eyes twinkled in amusement at Luke's bewilderment.

"My name is Corban, and this is where the Fort of Tuskan will one day be built."

"How do you know…?"

"I am one with the Living Force; I know everything that has been and I can see some things that are about to happen. I know that you are seeking the Valley that I discovered, and I have come to warn you."

"Warn me of what?" The gray eyes became hard as rock.

"Power corrupts everyone, Luke, even the strongest and most pure of hearts; beware of it. Also, soon you must face a very dark and evil man if you wish to save your friends. This man is the Sith Lord that Obi-Wan told you of. He has already tried to corrupt the man from Earth and he will try to do the same to you. You must not fight him; not here, not now."

"What am I to do?"

"Run, help your friends and run. You will be given a very heavy weight to bear in the next few days, but I am assured that you will carry it well." Luke's vision began to go out of focus. He shook his head to clear it, but it only got worse. Like a heavy mist was being drawn before his eyes.

"Wait, Corban, I need help. Where do we go next?" The world was going black.

"Trust your instincts. Run Luke, run well. We'll be watching you."

DXVJKE

Luke's vision came back almost instantaneously as Leia was dragging him up a particularly immense sand dune. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was, what he was doing here, and where all the Sand People went.

"Leia? What are you doing?" His voice startled her so much that Leia dropped Luke on the dune's slope.

"Luke, oh, I'm sorry. You scared the living daylights out of me. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Where're Han and Chewie?" Luke's memory was quickly returning to him, but he distinctly remembered them at the edge of the ruins. Why were they going back up the slope? What happened?

"They're trying to get Indy out of the city." Luke jumped up.

"WHAT?" He started to run down the dune again, but Leia caught his arm.

"Luke, what are you doing?"

"They can't go down there. I have to help them."

"You're not going anywhere. You got a bad case of sun stroke and—."

"No, Leia, listen to me. I had a vision and I have to get down there. Han and Chewie are in a graver danger than they can imagine." Leia stared at her brother for a while and nodded; she let go of his arm.

"Don't kill yourself, okay?" Luke smiled grimly and pecked her on the cheek.

"Get the T16 ready for take off. I have a feeling that we'll be needing it." Leia nodded and began to race up the dune as Luke turned to head back down it.

DXVJKE

Han and Chewie were probably doing one of the most difficult tasks that they had ever faced: sneaking up on ARC Troopers while avoiding Sand People. It wasn't easy at all, but they had two slight advantages over the situation. First, they had the element of surprise. Second, all the ARC Troopers were facing one direction, leaving their backs completely unprotected.

Han was still of the opinion that this whole affair was ludicrous, but he was not about to let the archeologist caught in that madness. Indiana Jones may be an egocentric know-it-all with a bad case of hero syndrome, but in the end he was one of their own and Han had a deep, deep sense of loyalty. Thus, the pirate and the wookie were on a mad plunge into the fray, to fight against all odds, probably get shot to death, and try to make a genetically perfect army surrender while fending off a bunch of villainous brutes; basically, going through the routine yet again.

The plan, though utterly ridiculous, was actually quite simple. Circle around the back of the ruins, wait until all the Troopers were engaged in the battle out there, grab Indy, and get the bloody hell out of there. Han could just hear C3PO quoting the odds of survival, and that irked him all the more.

The ruins were sporadically placed on the outside, offering little cover to hide behind. Han and Chewie were forced closer to the center, where the walls were higher and more complete. Sneaking was easy enough. The cover from the ruined walls hid them almost completely from being spotted and the sound of the battle across the way masked any sound that they happened to make, not that there was much to begin with. The problem was that the ruins were maze like and Han had to continually stand up, risking detection, in order to see where he was in relation to the Rock. They were steadily getting closer to the Rock, and now Han and Chewie began to back off a bit from the center in order to swing around. From his frequent glances at the surroundings, Han realized that the ARC Troopers were steadily winning against the onslaught of the Sand People, which meant that the window of opportunity was steadily closing. They were directly behind the Troopers' concentration, which meant that now they could get close to the Rock and search for Indy.

Han crept out of the last bit of cover and saw, not Indy, but a very large crate sitting at the base of the Rock, which screened him from the sight of the Troopers. Hoping that there would be ammunition in the crate, Han darted forward and found, not guns as he was expecting, but two slabs of marble. _The tablets._ He snatched them out of the crate and raced back to Chewie.

"Here, take these," Han gave the whispered order while shoving the stone slabs into the large arms of his companion. "Get back to the ship and tell Leia to wait for us."

"Aaahrnnneeeeeh." Chewie growled his protest as softly as he could.

"Don't worry about me. I'm just gonna get Indy and go, okay?" The Wookie hesitated and nodded his massive head. "Good, now move it while there's still a chance." Chewbacca could move quickly and silently when the situation merited it, and though he did not want to leave his comrade, he knew the importance of the stones in his arms. Han only gave the hairy giant a quick glance and began to search in earnest for the wayward archeologist.

It wasn't hard. Moments after Chewie departed with the tablets, Indy appeared on top of the rock. He seemed a bit bewildered at the battle raging below him and turned his back on Han to watch it. Han, who recoginized in an instant that Indy was going to get himself killed, picked up a good sized stone and hurled it at the archeologist's back with all his might. As soon as the stone left his fingers, Han groaned inwardly. If that rock fell the wrong way and hit one of the ARC Troopers, it would be lights out Charlie. But Fortune smiled and allowed the stone to fly true.

Indy whipped his head around as something hard struck him in the middle of his back. He looked around to see who had the audacity to try and stone him and saw Han hiding behind an outcropping of ruins. Indy grinned. _Well, I was looking for audacity…_ He grabbed the grappling rope that was still thankfully dangling from the side of the monolith, swung it around so that no one would see his descent, and began to repel to the ground. His feet touched down and he raced away from the rock. Indy wasn't happy about leaving his rope, but it was either that or risk getting caught.

"Hey." Indy crouched down next to Han relatively safe behind the ruined bit of wall.

"You okay?" Han whispered, checking the charge on his blaster before moving off.

"Yeah, took you long enough to get here."

"Well, sorry, we had some trouble figuring out the clues. Here." Han handed Indy something, which caused a smile to break out on the archeologist's face. Indy had his revolver back. He grinned and then jerked upward.

"The tablets. I have—." Han grabbed his arm.

"That's taken care of, now lets get out of here." Indy was about to protest but the pirate had already begun to creep away from him. Indy checked the ammunition status of his gun, found it full, and followed. It was hard to crawl along a ruined city with two slabs of granite in a bag over your shoulder, but Indy was managing as best he could. They had almost reached the outer rim of the city when Han stopped cold.

"Going somewhere, Doctor?" Indy's blood froze at the sound of that voice. _How is it possible for him to be here?_ "And do tell me who your friend is." Han straightened and held his blaster level with Carron's chest.

"I suggest you move it," Han growled testily. Carron gave that snake-like smile.

"Come, sir, you wouldn't shoot an unarmed man." There was something decidedly wicked about Carron's eyes, and Han tensed up.

"I will if you don't move." He removed the safety from his blaster. Carron's eyes shifted to Indiana.

"You will come back with me, Doctor," Carron moved his hand ever so slightly and Indy had a strong, sudden urge to return to the ARC Troopers. He shook his head and it passed. Han stretched his blaster out.

"Move, now." Carron shifted his gaze from Indy to Han and repeated the slight move with his hand.

"Put the gun down."

"Damn you." Han fired twice. And then several things happened all at once. The two shots slammed not into Carron's chest but into his hand and ricocheted off. Indy froze with shock. _How is that possible? _Han, however was not in the least mesmerized, he had seen that trick once before. He grabbed Indy's hand and yanked it as hard as he could. At that instant, Luke raced towards them, lightsaber brandished, yelling with urgency.

"HAN! RUN NOW!" The Jedi darted between his friends and the Arian. He took his stance and centered himself in the Force.

"Luke that guy's—."

"I know. Get out of here." Han pulled Indy off into the direction of the dune. He didn't like leaving the kid there, but he knew deep down that he couldn't do anything to fight that…that thing. So they ran. The sand shifted beneath their feet and more than once they stumbled, but they had to get to the T16, had to get to Leia, had to rescue Luke. Indy had come out of his shock at Carron's ability and was running as fast as Han. They reached the crest of the dune and saw the T16, humming and ready. Large tracks down the hill before them told Han that Chewie was already at the ship with Leia, not that he doubted the Wookie's ability. They made it to the ship in a few moments, and Leia, already sensing her brother's plight, immediately yanked the T16 upward to go get Luke.

DXVJKE

"Don't do anything so foolish as to try and fight me, boy." Carron sneered. His face resembled a pale snake, deadly and deathlike. Luke shivered inwardly.

"Mind games won't work on me." Luke said with a confidence he didn't feel. He was losing his focus within the Force. Carron laughed and Luke had the undeniable urge to throw up.

"Oh yes of course not. You're the precious Jedi." Just a few more moments, just a few more. "More like a foolish child with delusions of grandeur." Luke could see Han and Indy disappearing behind the crest of the hill out of the corner of his eye. "Just because you were lucky enough to have killed that old fool doesn't mean you'll survive me." Carron lifted his hands, a pose Luke instantly recognized as the one the Emperor used before a Force Lightening attack. Carron's eyes became hooded slits as he breathed before attacking. But Luke was one step ahead of him.

He jumped upward and using his dwindling power in the Force to pull up the sand beneath his feet. In the blinding dust storm, Luke landed on the other side of the last cropping of rock and raced up to the top of the dune, drawing as much energy off of the Force as he could. The impromptu cloud screened him from Carron and allowed him to escape. He ascended to the top of the dune just as the T16 came up on the other side. The hatch was open and Luke leapt inside, pulling it up behind him.

DXVJKE

Carron willed away the sand just long enough to see the boy climbing into the back of a small shuttle. _How typical of the Jedi, yes, run away boy, run like the coward you are. We shall meet again in time and then, oh then I shall make you pay. _Carron smiled again before turning back to his troops. He was almost to the Rock when one of the ARC Troopers raced up to him.

"My lord? We have defeated the attacking Sand People with minimal casualties. They have fled, my lord." Carron only nodded. "Orders, my lord?" Carron turned and smiled grimly.

"Get the TIE-Fighters and get me that shuttle."

DXVJKE

Luke sat in the relative stillness of the interior of the T16 and tried to desperately catch his breath. The run up the dune was nothing compared to the pure terror that facing that…that thing brought. He had never felt so disconnected from the Force. He closed his eyes for a moment and forced his mind to focus. _There is no fear…there is no anger…there is no pain…there is no fear…there is no anger…there is no pain…_ He could feel the Force again and sighed his relief.

"Uh, Luke?" Leia's voice cut into his reverie. He stood from the door and carefully picked his way around Han, Chewie, Indy, and four rather large rocks to the pilot's seat. He looked down at his sister and smiled softly. "You okay?" Her voice was calm, but Luke could sense the concern that she had for him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" She looked up at him.

"I couldn't feel you." Leia spoke very little of her sensitivity to the Force and Luke was a little surprised at the admission.

"It's okay." He mustered more assurance for her than he felt for himself. "Here, let me fly. I have a feeling that we won't be alone for long." Leia acquiesced and quickly moved out of the pilot's seat to let Luke take control. She sat next to Han in the back of the shuttle and grinned at their returned companion.

"Good to have you back, Indy." The archeologist looked up at her and returned the grin.

"You have no idea how glad I am to be back." He leaned back against the wall of the shuttle.

"Who was that guy?" Han asked to fill the silence.

"He said that his name is Carron, an art dealer, but…" Indy looked back, remembering the strange ability that the Arian had, "I've been around a lot of art dealers and I've never seen one who could do that." Leia looked from Han to Indy and back again.

"Do what?" Han was about to answer when the T16 shook.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHRRRNNNNNN!"

"No kidding." Han jumped up and moved to the pilot's seat. "Luke that—."

"Was a TIE Fighter, yeah I know." The Jedi was trying to focus his piloting skills to get them out of range. But a beat up old T16 was nothing compared to the top of the line Imperial fighter.

"Can we fight 'em?" Han clung to the back of the pilot seat as the ship shook a second time.

"No." Luke ground out through clenched teeth. "T16's don't get weapons."

"Well what the Sith kind of good are they?" Han barked as the ship shook for a third time.

"Running." Luke grasped the controls and yanked hard to the right. "Hold on. I'm gonna try something." Han looked up ahead and almost lost his lunch. Beyond them, looming out of the dead sand was the famed Jundland Wastes. The red-gold colored canyon walls were a harsher environment than the deserts could ever be and even Han new that flying inside it was near suicide.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" The pirate practically screamed. No one EVER flew through the Jundland Wastes and came out without a scratch. And Han had no intention of dying now. Luke ignored the outburst and continued to fly right towards it.

"I used to fly through here when I was a kid."

"Oh, yeah that gives me a WHOLE LOT of assurance." Leia at that moment grabbed the back of Han's jacket and yanked him back into the hold.

"What was that for?" Leia just looked at him and shook her head. "What?" Han was really nervous, he had just gotten his girl back and had no intentions of losing her again.

"That coming from the man who flew through an asteroid belt." Her voice carried the clipped tones of you're-walking-on-thin-ice-so-watch-it-buster. "Luke knows what he's doing." Han decided that now was a good time to shut up, so he did. Everyone hung onto the sides of their seats and waited.

Luke breathed deeply and plunged the T16 into the canyon. He knew most of its tracks by his home, but he had never come this far to the north before. He reached out with the Force and almost seemed to feel the sides and twists of the canyon before they loomed. He could also feel the pilots in the two TIE Fighters behind him. He just hoped that this would work.

The Jundland Wastes were famous for three things: the high and next to impossible to navigate canyon walls, Sand People, and Jawas. While the latter were not to be worried about if one was rocketing around in a craft, the former two were near lethal. Sand People would hide on the top of the canyon walls and take potshots at passing speeders and pilots, but after the massive slaughter that the ARC Troopers had put them through a while ago, Luke doubted that anyone would be plinking at him today. Which left the first problem: the walls. Formed by blasting sands and earthquakes in some prehistoric era, the Jundland Wastes high walls curled out of the earth and clawed at the sky. The real problem with them was the fact that, because of the color scheme, the juts of stone were nearly impossible to distinguish from the rest of the walls. You had to either be extremely familiar with the canyon or have insanely fast reflexes. Luke was counting on a combination of the two to help him navigate and a lack of either to destroy his followers.

The T16 swooped majestically down the flank of the canyon wall, skimming over rocks and sand, with the two TIE Fighters following in close formation behind. The first hundred yards or so were relatively straight, making Luke worry if this was really a good idea, but his worry only had an instant to register as the first bank came up. Yanking to the left, the T16 curved and missed the far wall by a bare foot. Luke then quickly corrected their flight in time to bank hard to the right, he then had to rise over an up-thrust of the floor and drop immediately beneath a natural stone bridge. The first of the TIE's missed that last bit and slammed headlong into the bridge, exploding in a fiery ball of death. The second blasted through the expanding flame and continued pursuit, now shooting at the T16, now eerily silent. Luke was now not so much worried about the TIE but about the canyon itself. The walls had all but closed up above him, giving him no choice but to continue down the canyon's run.

After a few more complicated twists and turns, some being only pulled out of at the last moment, the canyon suddenly opened up. Luke was about to feel relieved when he realized that this section of the canyon was filled with natural pillars that rose sharply from the ground. This now took all of Luke's piloting skills to keep from ramming into one or clipping his wings on another. He didn't swoop upwards as his gut instinct was screaming for him to do because the pillars were very adequate at deflecting the incessant fire coming from the TIE behind him. Fortune smiled and the TIE's pilot didn't have the good sense to fly above the pillars and shoot downwards. That one idiotic act eventually cost the pilot his life. Luke pulled an amazing 180 around a large pillar, as what was beyond was a solid wall. The TIE missed this move and, upon swerving around the pillar, smashed into the wall.

The occupants of the T16 heard the resounding crash, which was magnified off of the canyon's walls, and Luke risked lifting up and out of the canyon to see if that was all of them. When no one followed them, and no ship was in sight for miles, the silent tension that had gripped the crew eased into near laughter.

"Well, kid, for a bone-headed scheme, that went pretty well." Luke risked looking back and grinning at the pirate. Leia, who had suddenly forgotten her icy mood, shoved Han playfully in the shoulder and laughed. Luke shifted the T16 back towards Mos Eisley.

"I take it that you found my hat and jacket," Indy said coolly, "Though I have to admit that it took you far longer than I expected."

"Hey, give us a break," Han quipped back. "We're not archeologists, remember? That's why you're here." The archeologist grinned.

"Nice to know I'm wanted." He pulled the circular stone out of his bag and handed it to Leia. "You up to more translating?" She gently took the granite disc and smiled softly.

"Always." She reverently touched the jewel in the center. "Where did you find this?"

"Long story. I'll give you the short version. Corban gave that to the Sand People a heck of a long time ago and it's been sitting beneath those ruins since." He looked down at the marble slabs at his feet. "How did you get those out of Carron's clutches?"

"Opened the crate, grabbed 'em, Chewie ran 'em back here." Han said casually. "I have a feeling that we're gonna have to catch up on what everyone's been doing." Indy nodded and was about to reply when Leia interrupted.

"I think I've got it."

"Already? Damn, you're fast." Indy reached back into his bag and searched around for his journal and then again for a pen. "'Kay. Go." Leia began to read and twisted the disc as she read.

"My first is the sum of my second and third,  
"The first two numbers to find a circumference.  
"My fourth and my fifth are the length and the width  
"Of a square yard, bound by a twenty-five fence.  
"My sixth and my seventh are easy to find,  
"Just look to the center of Naldis's Joint.  
"The eighth and the ninth each take one digit  
"From an equilateral triangle's point.  
"The tenth and eleventh both copy the seventh,  
"But add eight to the former and four to the latter.  
"My twelfth is the root of those listed above.  
"The Counselor's Hall will begin the whole matter."

There was a long pause after Leia finished, filled only by Indy's furious scribbling as he copied it down.

"What the Sith does that mean?" Han finally asked.

No one answered.

DXVJKE

Oooooh, Carron's a Sith Lord...so many of you now have confirmed suspicions. And don't worry, Carron's not out of the picture yet. So, who's ready to solve another puzzle? AND I WANT EVERYONE OUT THERE TO AT LEAST TRY! oh, and tell me your guesses, not just "I think I know but I'm not gonna say". I shall give you two hints:One, Naldis's Joint is the same as a Cartesian Plane and Two, the last line is the origin. Figure out what the answer is and where to start and you shall get cookies! Gonna write some more soon I hope,Happy puzzle solving!  
DarkX


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I borrowed the title for this chapter from the TV show of the same name. The show is owned by CBS not me. I have never viewed it, but I liked the name. Still don't own any Star Wars stuff or Indiana Jones stuff…you get the picture. DON'T SUE ME!

**Notes to reviewers: **(which probably won't make sense as it's been ages since i last updated, but...oh well)  
**anonymous:** unfortunately, no, no, and no. but thanks for reviewing...who ever you are...  
**Freetrader: **wow, i got the orginator to comment...dude...COOKIES FOR YOU FOR REVIEWING! and don't worry about being a lazy bum...i mean, i've take, what, two, three months to update this? oh, and i'm sorry for calling you a guy. you wrote in such a dramatic, excited style without romance that i immediately assumed you were male...so terribly sorry...  
**Han-Skywalker: **HAN? ATTACK INDY? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? oh and sorry about the puzzles thing...and for causing you pain. though you should take some advill and keep reading cause there are gonna be a heck of a lot of puzzles in coming chapters...  
**dm1: **YOU GET COOKIES FOR SOLVEING MOST OF THE PUZZLE! and for reviewing...so happy. and these puzzles come from an overactive imagination. read closely what Indy says about number puzzles and you'll get an idea of what my childhood was consumed with...  
**Lunatic Pandora1: **well, dearie, today's your lucky day because i'm gonna explain it below. thanks for reviewing...  
**Lt. Commander Richie: **So very close...thanks for reviewing...  
**Eris86: **to answer your questions, VERY, yes, i'm not telling you yet, sorry for making you wait, yes you can play with 16 (if you'll put my name in your disclaimer somewhere so that doesn't get their panties in a knot about ownership and copyrights and all that rubbish). he feeds off of chocolate, coffee, Starburst candies (only the red and orange ones), and shooting Barney the Dinosaur (shudders...). and he need's a good home so please do take him. i think that he'll like you...  
**Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi: **No no no, don't stop,i love random stories. i haven't gotten a chance to review Idiots yet, and i am so looking forward to A New Mope...please bring it out soon...THANKS FOR THE PARTY! I LIKE PARTIES!  
**Karlina Ellison: **uhhhh...no...but good use of thinking outside the box...and for reviewing...COOKIES FOR TRYING!

**and now for what you all have been wating for:**

Chapter 18  
Numb3rs

The T16 slowly descended into its designated port and its passengers exited. Mos Eisely's populace paid no attention to the four dirty, scruffy, humans and only heeded the Wookie enough to keep a wide berth of him.

"So what do you suppose we do?" Luke was tired and didn't want to think about their next step. His brush with the Sith had really shaken him, and though he didn't show it, all he wanted was a quiet place to meditate.

"Chewie and me'll sell the T16, you three get the rocks back to the Falcon and hide 'em in the smuggler's hold. We'll meet at the cantina." Leia looked up sharply at that.

"Why there? We should just leave now." Han shook his head.

"No, Leigh, look. If we leave now without an idea of where to go next, we'll get hunted down by that Carron guy and end up dead. If we wait here, we can disappear in the crowd and he'll never find us."

"Oh," Leia said, satisfied about the reason for not leaving, but something still bothered her. "Why not just wait on the Falcon, why the cantina?"

"Two reasons: one, if they decide to search Mos Eisely, the Falcon's the first place that they'll look. Two: I need a drink." Indy perked up at that suggestion.

"I'm with Han on this one." Leia looked at them and sighed.

"I think you two have more in common than just your face. Oh, all right. We'll be at the cantina in half an hour." Han grinned and quickly kissed her before he and Chewbacca went off in search for some one stupid enough to buy a beat-up T16.

DXVJKE

The cantina, in Indy's opinion, was just like every bar back on Earth and cleaner than most, which didn't reflect favorably on Earth. Though he had never, ever, seen anything like most of the inhabitants of the watering hole, or even imagined that they could exist, and though he was repulsed by most of them, Indy's face didn't register much shock or perplexity. Luke was pretty impressed by this, but not really surprised. He had long decided that this archeologist was made of tougher stuff than most, which, Luke was sure, is why Ben orchestrated their meeting. Quickly scanning the crowd, Luke found Han and Chewie sitting at a secluded table in the back. He slipped through the throng, Leia behind him with Indy bringing up the rear, and seated himself at the table.

Indy, now clad in fedora and jacket, pulled out his journal as he sat. Han pushed a glass with a bluish-purple liquid in it over to Indy and took a sip of his own identical glass.

"Took the liberty of getting you one." The pirate watched closely as Indy picked up the glass and took a rather large swallow. Indy cocked his head slightly, analyzing the liquor.

"'S'okay. Tastes like bad bourbon, though." He took another slug and glanced at Han's face. "What?"

"That's Nelvaan Horaxuer, possibly the strongest and most vile tasting, gut wrenching, throat-searing, booze this side of the galaxy." Indy shrugged.

"I've had worse. Compared to the stuff my friend Marion knocks back, this is pretty smooth." Leia rolled her eyes.

"Can we please try to solve the puzzle?" Indy turned and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry." He turned his attention to his journal, opened it up and re-read the clue.

"My first is the sum of my second and third,  
"The first two numbers to find a circumference.  
"My fourth and my fifth are the length and the width  
"Of a square yard, bound by a twenty-five fence.  
"My sixth and my seventh are easy to find,  
"Just look to the center of Naldis's Joint.  
"The eighth and the ninth each take one digit  
"From an equilateral triangle's point.  
"The tenth and eleventh both copy the seventh,  
"But add eight to the former and four to the latter.  
"The twelfth is the root of those listed above.  
"The Counselor's Hall will begin the whole matter."

"So where do we start?" Leia, determined as ever, asked.

"I don't know," Luke sighed. "I don't even know what we're looking for. I mean, the other clues had, well, places or people attached to them. This is just a…I don't know…it's—."

"Numbers." Indy said, after some thought. "It's a series of numbers and together they make the clue."

"How can you be so sure?" Leia asked.

"Well, when I was a kid, I loved solving word puzzles. And one of my favorites would be set up kind of like this, only you would take a letter from a set of words and put them together to form a new word. Like, 'My first is in both blue and green,' which is the letter 'E'. Get it?" Leia nodded. "So here, instead of looking for a letter we're looking for a number. 'My first is the sum of my second and third' so—."

"If we find out what the second and third numbers are then we add them together to get the first." She finished.

"Right."

"So what are the second and third numbers?" Luke asked. His fatigue had left him as his brain became intrigued with the puzzle.

"Second line of the clue. 'The first two numbers to find a circumference.'"

"Of a circle, maybe?" Leia asked.

"Makes sense." Indy said, happy to be back among people who thought for themselves.

"But what circle?" Luke asked. "Any circle can be different from any other circle depending on its radius."

"Then it has to be something universal enough to…" Indy stopped and snapped his fingers. "Pi."

"Pie?" Luke asked, wondering if the archeologist snapped. "What's food got to do with circles?"

"No not Pie, pie, I mean Pi. It's the designation of the ratio of a circle to its area."

"Urraaa thhhhhhhhrrraaaaaaaasssssss auuouu." Indy looked up at the Wookie and then at Han, mentally pleading for a translation.

"He said, 'You mean Thrace's ratio'." Luke's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Oh, that. Yeah that makes sense." Indy made a mental note about differing names for universal terms.

"Numerically, what's the series for the first few digits of…Thrace's ratio?"

"It's a decimal…" Luke tried to remember back to his childhood math lessons. "Uh, three-point-one-four-one-five-nine-two-seven, I think."

"That about sounds right," Leia agreed.

"It's the same where I come from. So if the first two digits of Thrace's ratio are three and one, then the first three numbers of our series are four, three and one." He quickly wrote that in the margins. Elation was evident in the group. "Right, next part: 'My fourth and my fifth are the length and the width of a square yard, bound by a twenty-five fence'."

"Simple," Leia smiled in triumph. "Five and five." Luke looked at his sister.

"How'd you get that?"

"A square with a perimeter of twenty-five has sides of five, five, five and five, so the length and the width of the square are five and five." Indy made another note.

"How come you got all the brains?" Luke grumbled good naturedly.

"Next part: 'My sixth and my seventh are easy to find, just look to the center of Naldis' Joint'." Indy drained the rest of the purple liquid in his glass. "What's Naldis' Joint?"

"It's a flat coordinate graph used for plotting two dimensional figures in four intersecting quadrants." Indy, Luke and Leia all stared at Han, shock readily evident on their faces.

"Where did that come from?" Leia finally asked.

"Well, they don't let idiots in the Imperial Academy, Leigh. And just because I turned pirate doesn't mean that all that junk leaked out my brain." Han also drained his glass and then held it up. "Though I may be killing it all with this stuff." He shrugged. "The center, where the horizontal and vertical axis's meet, has the coordinates zero and zero." _Sounds like a Cartesian plane_, Indy thought while reading off the numbers they had collected so far.

"Four, three, one, five, five, zero, zero."

"What's next?" Luke asked.

"'My eighth and my ninth each take one digit of an equilateral triangle's point'."

"Could they be talking about the angle?" Leia asked, voicing the thoughts of everyone.

"Probably." Luke said, finishing the thoughts of everyone. "That would be sixty degrees, so six and zero."

"'The tenth and eleventh both copy the seventh, but add eight to the former and four to the latter.'"

"Eight and four," Han said with a hint of boredom.

"'The twelfth is the root of those listed above'." They didn't get that one quite as fast and sat in the semi-darkness, almost stumped.

"Eeeon." Chewie growled at last.

"Six?" Han said sharply, looking up at the Wookie. "Whatdaya mean 'Six'?"

"Aau nnnlll eeaahhnnn uuurrrrr uuo eeeon." Han looked quite impressed.

"What did he say?" Indy asked, still unable to understand Chewbacca.

"He said that the square root of the sum of the numbers we already have is six." The others sat in silence, pondering this out, and came to the same conclusion that the Wookie had.

"So, what's the list?" Luke finally asked. Indy looked over the twelve numbers they had collected and recited them.

"Four, three, one, five, five, zero, zero, six, zero, eight, four, and six." He paused. "The last line is what's stumping me the most. 'The Counselor's Hall begins the whole matter.' Why would they give twelve digits and then put this in?" Luke suddenly breathed sharply.

"Carron's headed this way. We've gotta get out of here, fast." They were about to split when Han grabbed Indy's arm.

"Wait a minute."

DXVJKE

Carron was in a foul mood. In one short stretch of time he had lost his prisoner, his way inside the Rock, all of the clues, the first pieces of the map to the Valley, his chance to kill the meddlesome Jedi, his TIE Fighters and pilots, and that stupid pirate who had tried to shoot him. The ARC Troopers were keeping a careful distance from him, as Sith Lords were notoriously dangerous when angered. When Carron ordered his soldiers to begin searching through Mos Eisely to find the irritants, they were almost happy. The chance to be away from the Sith was pleasant and the chance to exact revenge on the dunderheads who killed two of there own was merely an added bonus.

16, who had seen two of the three people that they were hunting for, was leading on section of the ARC Troopers, while Carron was leading the other. Carron was searching through the docking bays looking for the T16 that the Jedi and his friends had escaped in. 16 was looking for the persons themselves in the seedier districts of Mos Eisley. He had his eight Troopers pair off and go search the various bars. He took two troopers and moved towards the most prominent cantina on the street only to pause and stare. Out of the cantina walked a massive Wookie, and a rather scruffy looking human male. On the surface, nothing about the scene looked odd, but something about the man seemed…familiar. He couldn't quite place the face from such a distance and only being able to get a quick glance, but it definitely warranted investigation. He sent the troopers to search the cantina and began to follow the pair.

DXVJKE

Carron, on the other hand, had absolutely no leads. Searching for one T16 in this rubbish city was like looking for the proverbial diamond in a glacier. He was about to give up and return to the ship when he felt something at the back of his mind. It was a gentle brush, a tingling sensation, like an electric current. He turned quickly and focused on the feeling. It eluded him for a few minutes, causing the ARC Troopers behind him to shift with boredom from inaction, then he caught it.

The Jedi.

A grim smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He may just be able to catch his prey yet.

Whipping around he stomped through the parting lines of Troopers and began doggedly following the tangible presence of the boy. He could sense peace, security…naivete. The boy didn't even know that Carron was coming. And with the five troopers behind him, this was almost too easy.

He moved around corners like a cobra, black and deadly and not to be taken lightly. Sliding through an alley way, he emerged in the center of town near the dock district, facing a massive crowd were the Jedi was trying to conceal himself.

There. Carron caught sight of boy, as in one ill-timed moment, the crowd moved ever so slightly to reveal him and…the archeologist. Two birds with one stone. How delightful. Carron signaled the Troopers to spread out as he himself moved to intercept.

DXVJKE

16, if he had emotions, would be smiling. He was slowly tracking the pirate from before along with a wookie. The wookie made tracking to be all to easy, as the creature stood head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd and periodically moaned, a harsh grating noise that one had to be deaf of dumb not to notice. These people almost made a mockery of his skill; a skrettn newby could follow these two. Still, 16 had spread out his troops to keep them from getting away.

The pirate and the wookie were wandering almost absentmindedly through the streets of Mos Eisley, twisting and turning through the dusty streets. A normal person would be thoroughly lost in this disgusting display of undisciplined humanity, but 16 was far from being normal. He had been slowly mapping their course and found that, though seemingly random, they were steadily moving towards the docking district.

He could easily take them now, but Carron ordered that no moves be made until they found all three of the targets. They were worried that if one was taken before the other, then they would warn the other, a fire-fight would break out, there would be casualties, and that was out of the question. Carron wanted all three taken alive and unharmed. Whether they would stay unharmed or not was another matter, but that did not concern 16. He had his orders. Stalk, wait, then take them when they have the signal.

Far too easy.

The communicator in his helmet crackled to life. 16 paused momentarily to get a clear transmission.

"_16, I have the Jedi and the Archeologist. State you position"_

"Sighted the pirate, he is travelling with a wookie. Should we take the beast alive?"

"_I have no use for it. Kill it. But not before you have the pirate secure. Begin moving into position. The rest is up to you, Commander."_

"Done." 16 ended the long range communication and signaled the rest of his wing. "Sub-commanders, report in."

"_49A-117, we are on the left flank of the target, awaiting orders."_

"_68A-841, right flank, awaiting,"_ 16 looked out along the dusty streets, mentally ticking off positions, counting seconds, watching, waiting.

"Take them."

DXVJKE

yes yes i know, evil cliffies and a bad habit of taking an eternity to update. i'm sorry. but i'm back and the next chapter is half written so expect it soon, even though i have five tests to take and two papers to turn in this week and finals three weeks away...but i'll try my darndest to get it out soon. thanks for sticking with me on this...it promises to be cool...  
again, so sorry for being such a lazy bum about this,  
DarkX  
PS PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME THAT YOU STILL ARE READING THIS...it might make me go faster...


	19. Chapter 19

**_STILL DON'T OWN ANYTHING!_**

**AN:** Yeah, so I haven't updated since April. Sorry. And I left all my faithful readers with a major cliffhanger. Again, Sorry. I hope a seven page chapter will make it up. Yes, they solve the puzzle. And some cool stuff happens and I'm not going to say anything else. Again, I'm sorry about the whole not writing thing. I took a sabattical from Valley for exams and then got some serious writer's block, Indy and Han wouldn't play nice with one another and it was just a long couple of months. Anyway, lots of reviews to answer…

**Dm1:** How right you are. And your cookies are stale now, so I shall have to send you some more…

**Han-Skywalker**: thank you for pestering. You broke my writer's block and enabled me to write this. Oh, about Leia's name. When I spell it "Leigh" I mean to shorten her name. So phonetically, instead of pronouncing LAY-a, just pronounce it LAY. It's a term of endearment, a nickname. Got it now? K. thanks for the review.

**Eris86**: oh good. I was going to kill 16 in this chapter, but then I remembered that you wanted to take care of him, so I kept him alive just for you. I will have to borrow him back in the future, but for now, let him enjoy his bubble bath.

**Freetrader**: HURRAH! Please do and thanks for reviewing!

**RavenRulzRF**: sorry, agreed, and thanks.

**Lt. Commander Richie**: Thank you

**Indy Pollard**: Thanks and sorry for the math and the long wait. I'm a bit of a math geek myself, so you may be seeing more of it.

**LunaticPandora1**: sorry for the math, yes, lots of tricks, and you shall have to read on, and REVIEW!

**Jedi X-Man**: I've decided to shorten your name as well. Sorry for making you wait so long, and I cannot wait for your sequel!

**Liz Jafferties**: HURRAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Sorry for the math and I'm glad you're enjoying this. Stick around please!

**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: Dude, you **_ROCK!_** I shall thank thee eighteen times for reviewing each of my chapters: Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You. I cannot begin to comment on your comments, but I shall try to hit the major ones: yeah, the math thing was a little out there, sorry. Carron is a compilation of all my favorite villains including that evil dude from raiders, and yes he does have a little of that freaky white Devil from the Passion thrown in. And, I had to make Han at least a little smart. He really is brilliant, I just think he plays it down. Oh, and thank you for reviewing all my other stories, you are definitely going on my list of favorite people!

**-JackIsBack-2007**: HURRAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Thanks for the review and I hope you will come back, even though it has taken me forever to write this chapter!

**Scarlet Scully**: HURRAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Oh and thank you for nitpicking! You are absolutely correct; it should have been twenty not twenty-five. Thank you for pointing that out and I hope you stick around to point out my other mistake.

**Roki**: HURRAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Sorry for all the cliffhangers. And yes, I'm using all conventional (ie, English Standard) measurements for this, partly because I don't want to calculate anything new, partly because I'm too lazy to look it up. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you stick around.

**AN**: I'm using all English Standard methods of measurement. For example: feet, yards, miles, and light years (which is 5.88 trillion miles in one standard solar year). Sorry to all you geeks out there who have memorized the Lucas way of calculating distance. I haven't. Deal with it.

Chapter 19  
Beware the Angry Woman

Eight highly trained ARC Troopers surged through the alleyways, converging on the two figures. 16 loped steadily, silently, towards his prey. He was about to reach them, about to close the trap when the pirate turned swiftly and…something went BAANG. 16 halted in mid stride. The pirate was holding a small black object that resembled a blaster pistol, but no blaster pistol 16 had ever seen went BAANG. It was then that he realized that the Trooper running next to him had fallen. Dark red blood was slowly oozing from a hole in the Trooper's chest…blaster pistols did not allow anyone to bleed. What was this new weapon?

16 jerked his head up from examining his dead comrade and realized that his moment's hesitation had cost them dearly. The pirate and the wookie had bolted back into the maze of alleyways. 16 swore under his breath and ran to follow them.

DXVJKE

_The Jedi must not be adept in his ability to sense oncoming danger. _Carron surged forward to attack the unsuspecting pair, relishing in the dark energy of the Force. Still it was odd that the boy didn't turn in response to Carron's now revealed character. The old emperor had told him that the Jedi could sense flickers within the Force, whether for good or for ill, and Carron was taken aback by the fact that this one didn't. Not that it mattered; it merely made the hunt less…interesting.

The Troopers with him had been ordered to hold back. Carron wanted the pleasure of first blood for himself. His senses were on edge; his body shook with the thrill of battle; the dark side coursed within him, heightening his strength, and he charged.

Carron raced toward the unsuspecting pair, lightsaber in hand, though inactive. He had no intention of killing them, not yet. He attacked with lightening speed…only to have his left fist…pass right through them?

DXVJKE

16's team, minus the dead trooper, converged on their leader with trained efficiency, only to discover that the targets had escaped. Escape was unallowable, intolerable, and caused them to begin questioning 16's right to lead. That is, until they laid eyes on him. 16 was coolly fingering his blaster pistol, not looking at any of them, as he dogtrotted through dusty streets. 49 and 68 exchanged private conversation, trying to figure out why 16 was currently incommunicado and what to do if he was no longer fit for service, as they followed him.

_The targets had escaped. One of my number is down, hit by an unknown weapon carried by one of the targets. Squadron leaders are questioning me. Unacceptable, all this is unacceptable. Damn Carron's orders to Mustafar's netherworld, that pirate will _pay _for what he did to _MY _team._ 16 had knowingly switched off his com so that his almost treacherous mutterings wouldn't be picked up by the team. If they began to doubt his mentality, they would cease to follow him, and mutiny was not tolerated…EVER.

Tracking the pirate was easy. 16 knew that they would be heading to the docking bay, probably to their vessel. The fact that a two-point-two-eight meter wookie was running with the primary target made tracking easy. The dusty sand made their footprints so blatantly obvious that it was impossible to miss them. Still he had lost precious time by waiting for his team. Wookies were known for their speed and agility, despite their massive size, and it appeared that the pirate could run just as fast. Now that his team was here, however, 16 pushed all his anger into his speed, increasing the pace to get at the targets. He would enjoy killing the pirate very, _very_ slowly.

DXVJKE

Carron howled in unmitigated rage. "HOLOGRAMS!" He turned to the building that the pair had been standing by and slammed his fist into the sandstone, enjoying the feeling of the building crumble around his hand. "BURN THEIR CURSED SOULS!" The burning anger that had fixed its claws in his soul was twisting him, enraging him to the point of explosion.

The rational, detached, part of his mind was coolly analyzing how they could have escaped, as Carron raced with Sith speed after the escaping pair. The archeologist knew nothing of holographic technology, and in order for their brazen plan to work, the Jedi must have been too absorbed in blocking him to set this up. So how could it have happened? Unless…

DXVJKE

16 rounded the sand colored building with headstrong, anger induced, speed. He could feel the extended thumping of the wookie's feet as it ran; they were close, so very close. The safety lock automatically clicked off of his blasters, responding to the killer instinct deep within his neuro-implants. Once he had a clear shot, those sons of massiffs would die.

The passage suddenly widened into a docking bay. Twisting walls became open and rounded, offering protection to the old and beaten up YT-1300 freighter. 16 only gave the ship a nano-second's glance as his eyes scanned the bay for the pirate and wookie. Instead of running straight to the ship as he was expecting, they were running along the curved walls. A good escape tactic, but utterly useless. 16 turned, aimed between the pirate's shoulders with grim satisfaction, and gently squeezed the trigger.

Yet, before he could pull off the shot, a blast of super-heated air rushed behind him. 16 instantly jerked towards the ship in time to see the second blast of red light coming towards him. Genetically honed instincts thrust him out of the way of the blast, while his mind tried to catch up with the situation.

_The ship…_

_There's someone already _IN _the ship._

His feet pounded after the pirate, trying to get out of range of whoever was firing at his team. Tactically, he would be safe if he were close to the shooter's ally. _It was all a trap. This whole thing was a trap. They knew that we were coming and they set this up._

16 continued to run as he saw two figures dart out of a side passage, joining up with the pirate and the wookie. Though he only got a brief look at them, 16 recognized one as the archeologist target. Which meant that…

Carron burst out from the passage and tore after the Jedi. He barely missed slamming into 16, not even watching as the ARC Trooper slid into the dust to avoid the coming laser blast from the ship. The Sith Lord had focused all his thoughts, powers, and anger on the boy running towards the broken vessel sitting in the midst of the landing pad. As he raced to get inside the closing bay door, laser blasts were trained on him, forcing him to stop. Carron drew his saber and had to waste precious seconds deflecting blast after blast after blast. His rage grew as he watched the ship power up and begin taking off. The fire never ceased until it was far too late for him to pursue his prey.

Carron stilled, deactivated his saber, and began suppressing his rage into deep-seated hatred. _That Jedi will bleed at my hand before this game has ended_. He watched the ragged pirate's vessel slowly decrease into a dot of light on the dead blue sky of Tatooine. 16 stepped cautiously towards the Sith Lord, quite aware that he was placing himself in harm's way. His team had gotten badly shot to bits, only a few were still alive and none but himself were wounded. The squadron he had sent with Carron chose that moment to round the corner, having to run through the city of Mos Eisely to catch up with the enraged Sith Lord. The ARC Troopers assembled themselves behind 16, patiently waiting for orders. 16 said nothing, standing quietly at attention, as Carron seethed inwardly. And both watched the dead sky.

DXVJKE

Leia was seated in the cockpit of the Falcon, not looking forward to the thought of having to run past a Star Destroyer and hoping that Han would get his lazy butt in here to do it instead. Trying to shoot ARC Troopers to bits without hurting her guys, and then have to go up against an enraged Sith Lord had put her in a very foul, very tense mood. A mood made worse by Indy swiftly jumping into the pilot's seat and yanking control away from her.

"Indy, what the Sith are you doing?" She had moved to Chewie's usual spot, to make it easier for Han to get them out of there. The problem was that she couldn't override the archeologist's commands if he did something stupid, which was likely considering that Indy had never flown the Falcon before.

"Trying to get my hat back." Leia turned to see someone who looked like Han, sounded like Han, acted like Han, and was dressed like Han, stride forward and snatch the fedora off of Indy's head before leaving.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep that thing on?" The pirate grumbled, while making calculations for light speed.

"Han…Ind…WHY ARE YOU SWITCHED?" This was a far too confusing end to a far too confusing day.

The real Indy clapped the fedora on his head, pointed at Han's back, barked "His idea!" and walked out, brushing by Chewbacca, who had come to take his usual co-pilot's seat. Leia quickly rose to let the wookie by and glared at Han.

"You forgot to mention that little detail of the plan." The Star Destroyer loomed ahead of them, though strangely took no action against the Falcon.

"Well, I was a little pressed for time. Hold on." Han punched the Falcon into hyperspace, putting as much distance between them and the Destroyer as possible. Slowly exhaling, he turned around to face the seriously ticked off princess. "You did good, Leigh. We couldn't have gotten out without you." She crossed her arms with a there-is-_no_-way-you're-getting-off-that-easy-buster look on her face shook her head slightly and walked out. Han sighed and ran after her.

DXVJKE

Indy, looking odd in Han's blue vest and blaster with his brown fedora perched on his head, was hunkered over his notebook trying to decipher what the numbers meant, and trying not to get distracted by Luke pacing. Indy glanced up to see Leia run out of the cockpit and down one of the halls to the sleeping quarters. His seemingly brief look paused on her face, trying to decipher to mix of anger, tears and confusion. Puzzled, Indy shook his head and went back to his notebook, only to get hit in the face with his leather jacket. Jerking up, he caught the back of Han moving along the same path that Leia took a few moments ago. He let his eyes linger on the now empty doorway before turning to the living area's other occupant.

"Luke, can I ask you a question?" The Jedi stopped pacing and slid into a chair beside the archeologist.

"Sure. What's up?" Indy indicated the still empty door with his head as he replied.

"Is…are they…"

"A couple?" Luke finished, a wry grin attempting to break onto his face. "Yeah, though they definitely have their ups and downs." He sighed. "They're both hotheaded, incredibly stubborn, enjoy being in control, but Leia's really structured and Han's…well, Han. They don't always mesh."

"So what keeps them together?" Luke shrugged.

"Love, I guess. That and the fact that Han doesn't like losing anything." Chewbacca walked in and grumbled something that Indy still couldn't understand. The archeologist raised an eyebrow at Luke, who in turn supplied the translation sought. "Something wrong with the hyperdrive."

"Is there anything ever _right _with the hyperdrive?" Luke snorted and looked down at the notebook.

"Got anything new?" Indy took this as a not so subtle hint that his prying into ever stormy romance of a pirate and a princess was over and allowed himself to be turned back to the puzzle.

"No, not really. Deciphering the numbers was a cakewalk in comparison to what they mean."

"What's a cakewalk?"

"Uhh…it's Ameri…Earth slang for easy, really easy. Comes from a dance where…nevermind. The point is that I can't really do anything until I find what these numbers mean."

"But they're numbers. Symbols agreed upon by a community to represent differing quantities. Do numbers have a different meaning on Earth?"

"Well, no. I don't mean like that." Indy flipped to a blank page in his book and jotted down the twelve numbers. "We've been given twelve digits within a base ten, single digit system. Or six digits on a base ten double digit system. Or four digits on a…well you get the picture."

"What do you mean by base ten?"

"Well, the math in each of the mini-puzzles is base ten, meaning that there are nine digits, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9. The number following 9 flips from a single digit in the one's place to two digits, a one in the ten's place and a zero in the one's place, to signify the fact that we have a number greater than nine. This is base ten math. You can rearrange the base to make it base eight. Then the digits would be 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, and 10." Indy tapped the code. "Not that any of that really matters. The point is, this system of numbers is based on the number ten. So, if you look at this, you can have twelve separate single digits: 4-3-1-5-5-0-0-6-0-8-4-6, or six double digits: 43-15-50-06-08-46, or four triple digits: 431-550-060-846, or three…" Indy cocked his head at the paper and blinked. "Is it really that simple?"

"What?" Luke looked a bit lost.

"When you calculate coordinates for, say, hyperspace, how do you set it up?"

"Every star system in the galaxy has a predetermined set of coordinates. We don't calculate them."

"So what are the coordinates of Tattooine?"

"Uhh…I don't know them off the top of my head."

"But if you randomly assigned numbers to them could you show me how it would look on paper?" Luke nodded and took Indy's offered pen. He scratched out a set of random numbers and looked back up at Indy.

"What's this all about?" The archeologist looked down at what Luke wrote and sighed.

"Nothing. It's…nothing. I thought I was onto something but I guess I wasn't."

"Will you tell me anyway?"

"I thought that the set of numbers was a set of coordinates, 4315-5006-0846, but it can't be."

"Why?" Indy tapped what Luke wrote.

"Because we have twelve digits and you just showed me I need eighteen to make a coordinate system."

"It wasn't always eighteen." Luke and Indy turned around to see Leia, face restored to her normal calm, with Han in tow. "The Old Republic used a fifteen digit coordinate system. When the Empire took over, they added the extra three to help distinguish who was friendly to the Emperor and who was possibly a rebel world." Indy glanced at the quiet triumph etched on Han's face and wondered what he said to heal the breach this time. _Stay focused._

"So would it be possible to have a twelve digit coordinate system?"

"Maybe. But it would have had to be pretty early on in the Republic."

"Early as in around the time span we've been working with?" Indy watched as Luke reached over to the computer terminal and repositioned it so that the rest at the table could see.

"The timeframe may work, but the numbers won't." Heads turned to look at Han.

"Why?" Leia asked, in her characteristic directness.

"Three reasons. First, all coordinate systems as far back as space travel goes are based on the fact that one digit equals one light year. Second, they all use the Galactic Center as the point of origin. And third the GC has a fifteen hundred light year circumference. If you use these numbers as a set of coordinates, then the last four digits brings you somewhere within that circumference. Fly in there and the gravity well created by that pocket of stars would suck us right into it's heart and squish us flatter than…" He trailed off, and they waited for him to finish, Leia less than most.

"Than what?"

"Well, let's just say that you wouldn't have to worry about your weight anymore, Leigh." Luke coughed to hide his laughing face as he watched his sister hit Han upside the head.

"What if they don't use the Galactic Center for the point of origin?" Indy tried to drag them back to the problem.

"Huh?" Han was rubbing the back of his head while grinning sheepishly at Leia.

"What if Corban and the others used another origin?"

"As long as they don't lead you back into the GC, then, yeah it could work. But it would shift the whole system and make calculating the new point one dog of a problem."

"But it could work?"

"Yes. It could work. Why do you have an idea what the origin is?"

"The Counselor's hall." Indy flipped back to the original clue. "I was wondering why they would give us a system of numbers and then put this phrase at the end. But what if the last line was the origin?"

"Captain Solo, Captain Solo." Han groaned softly and turned to face the gold plated droid, shuffling in the doorway, with R2 following right behind.

"What?"

"Chewbacca requests your assistance in the engine room. Something about the hyperdrive's guidance system."

"Not again." He got up and stormed out of the room.

"Let's keep working," Indy said turning back to the table. "Do any of you know where a counselor's hall could be?" There was a pause before R2 set off a series of beeps and whistles in a most declarative manner. Indy looked down at the little droid. "What'd he say?"

"I'm not entirely sure, sir," 3PO replied, puzzlement quite evident in his metallic voice. "He said something about Corescant and the Jedi Temple, but frankly sir, he rants about the strangest things. I wouldn't pay too much attention."

"He was right about Obi-Wan," Luke said, defending the little droid. "we should at least give him a shot." R2 repeated his strain of beeps and paused for 3PO to translate.

"He said that there is a room in the Jedi Temple on Corescant where the Jedi's ruling counsel met before the fall of the Old Republic. They called it the Counselor's Hall."

"Alright," Indy said, "then if Corescant is the point of origin for these coordinates, then we should be able to find the resting place of the next clue." Luke punched in some data on the computer's terminal, causing a three dimensional map of the galaxy to hover over the table. Corescant's system lit up in red. "So, how are we going to translate twelve digits to eighteen?"

"I'll go get Han." Leia stood from the table and disappeared around the corner. The others sat in silence, waiting for her to return with their local expert on all things space travel.

"Who's Obi-Wan?" Indy asked at last.

"Hmm?" Luke looked up.

"You said R2 was right about Obi-Wan. Who is he?"

"Oh. Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the last Jedi from the Old Republic. He lived near the Dune Sea on Tatooine, helped me learn to be a Jedi. He was a great man."

"Was?"

"He died, a few years ago." Luke stared off into space and a heavy silence descended on the room. Indy could tell that this Obi-Wan guy had meant a lot to Luke and was unwilling to break in upon his reverie.

"So, what's the problem?" Both men looked up to see Han walk in, wiping his hands on a grease-stained rag.

"We found the point of origin and now we need help figuring out where we're supposed to go." Han looked at the map, still hovering over the table, and groaned.

"Corescant? AGAIN?"

"We don't have to go there," Leia harrumphed, "Stop being so juvenile."

"Look, there are two ways to figure out how to get where we're supposed to go. One is to do a complex math equation to translate four digits to six, three times over. The second is to start at the origin and move along straight lines. Which means we have to move, which means going back to Corescant."

"But won't it be more time consuming to move some 10,000 light years?" Luke piped up. "Why not just do the equation?"

"Because I don't like math, that's why." Han snapped back.

"Han, that is the most stupid thing I ever heard," Leia huffed. Indy noticed that a full fledged argument was about to break out, and in the interest of keeping peace, threw his two cents in.

"Why not just use Han's idea, but do it along the map?" Three heads turned towards him, agitation apparent on all their faces. "I mean, just move along the axis here." He pointed to the map.

"It would work, I guess." Han swung into a chair and began punching the numbers in. The computer paused as it worked and then lit up another red dot on the map. Han let out a slow whistle.

"What is it?" Leia asked.

"That, right there, is Soduka. Possibly one of the nastiest environments in the known galaxy."

"Why?" Indy wondered. "I thought it was life supporting. Didn't Maceina come from there?"

"She did, it does, and neither of those facts changes my earlier statement. Soduka is known for two things: sulfuric acid swamps and really, really, REALLY tall mountains. You can't land on the ground because the fumes from the swamps make the air toxic. You can't land on most of the mountains because they aren't flat enough or strong enough to support the weight of a ship. Most pirates I've talked to call Soduka the Angry Woman because it's so bloody hard to get close her." Leia decided to overlook that last comment and point out the obvious.

"But there has to be some kind of space port or else how could Maceina get offworld and become a Jedi?"

"There are landing platforms, but they're stationed far away from the majority of Sodukans. They're kind of a xenophobic society."

"That may be, but we still have to go there." Han sighed and stood.

"Then I better fix the hyperdrive."

* * *

Right, so now they're off again, and there are no evil cliffhangers and I shall try to update soon (rather than wait three months). Kudos and Cookies to all my faithful reviewers and all the soon to be faithful. Please hang in there, it will go on, I promise. PLEASE REVIEW! 

later--------------------**Dark X**


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Are we all tired of me saying that I don't own anything? 'Cause I know I am…

**_EVERYBODY READ THIS:_** When I use the word "Leigh" it is NOT repeat **_NOT_** because I am spelling Leia's name wrong. Leigh is a nickname that I'm having Luke and Han use. Consider it the first syllable in her name and there you have it. So please STOP TELLING ME THAT I'M SPELLING IT WRONG! Not mad, just tired of having to tell all of y'all this individually. I greatly enjoy it when people nitpick at my writing, grammar, spelling, story holes, etc. so please don't stop correcting all my problems  
**The Black Inferno Alchemist**: Thank you for the compliment. I'm not sure, but that would be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool….  
**Coyote Guardian Spirit**: HURRAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! And thanks for reviewing!  
**Dm1**: HURRAH for figuring it out! Han and Indy are working together…and hopefully they'll stay that way. I can't stand it when they start bickering.  
**Eris86**: well, I hope it is. Thanks for reviewing.  
**Han-Skywalker**: Dude, that's twice in a row that you've motivated me to finish. Tell ya what, if I don't crank out a chapter every six weeks you have my permission to annoy the heck out of me until I do. And I like your idea of bringing everybody back to Earth, that would be fun…gonna have to figure out how to fit it in. hmmm….  
**Indy Pollard**: Thank you and see above note. I just like giving nicknames to my characters. Besides, since when in the history of siblings as one not had an annoying nickname given to them? I just think it fits her.  
**Jedi X-Man**: good, cause I'm keeping it this way. And I'm sorry about your computer. I know how frustrating it is when they cease working…URG! Thanks for the review  
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**RavenRulzRF**: Oh come on, you have to allow me at least ONE running gag and I picked the hyperdrive. Hope it doesn't break in this chapter…  
**Roki**: OF COURSE HE IS! Indy's hat is an integral part of him. To lose it…that's just…HERESY!  
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**Scarlet Scully**: hopefully this'll be a little more for you, but there is much, MUCH more to come, so stick around.  
WHEW…lots of reviews. Keep up the good work people. Here's your reward for sticking around.

Chapter 20  
Ascending

Soduka was a red brown jewel that hung in the vast blackness of space. She slowly circled an ancient red giant in an orbit that made one Sodukan year last roughly twenty Earth years. If her orbit came any closer to her sun, the red flames would roast what little life existed. But life existed. Once mighty oceans had dwelt, crashing and carving away the soft rock until the numerous islands were nothing but smooth outcroppings. Sulfuric acid had replaced the oceans, pillars of shifting sand now stood where islands once were, and the creatures that had thrived on those islands had learned to adapt. The seafaring race reached upward to the air, and life moved on.

To say that the Sodukans hated outsiders was a bit extreme. They disliked the anthropological and genetic communities trying to figure out how exactly they went from sea to air. They disliked the mining community trying to clear the acid to get at the rich mineral deposits beneath the mountains. They disliked the Republic and then the Empire trying to tax them just for existing. The only kind of people who the Sodukans would tolerate were those who both earned their respect and did not want anything from their people or their planet.

These two facts, the harshness of planet and people, made the task of finding the next clue to be very difficult. The original clue, though very verbose in where it was pointing, was very vague about where to look on the planet. The clue's hiding place could be one of the ten thousand mountainous peaks or it could have succumbed to the acid's ravenous appetite and washed away forever. The only way to know for absolute certainty is to ask the Sodukans, and the only way to ask them is to earn their respect.

DXVJKE

The Millennium Falcon cut through the dense clouds that clung to the mountaintops as it searched for a place to land. The yellow fumes of the sulfur swamps rose to mix with the clouds, forming a golden blanket that caught the red sunlight and made the mountains aflame with light. The fumes also camouflaged hidden spears of rock that could shred the Falcon's body if Han did not pay attention. Needless to say, Han and Chewie were the only two inhabitants of the cockpit at the moment. Luke, Indy and Leia were assembling the breathing apparatuses they would need to survive the poisonous atmosphere.

Han had circled the same three landing pads nearly a half dozen times, trying to find the one that would be closest to the known camp of Sodukans. After getting complaints from Leia of airsickness, he finally picked one and gently dropped the Falcon on it. The landing pads were natural sandstone plateaus, reinforced with titanium steel to support the manifold tons of ship. Long, thin, catwalks connected the pads to one another, forming an irregular rust-colored triangle studded with silver. The three plateaus were all that was left of the largest set of islands on prehistoric Soduka. The sandstone was solid enough, covered with a thick blanket of dust that the fierce acid bearing winds ground off the surface.

3PO elected to remain inside the ship (as the sand did unpleasant things to his joints and no oil baths were to be found) while R2 and Chewbacca effected minor repairs on the outside of the Falcon. Han, Leia, Luke, and Indy donned their breath masks and packs stuffed with grappling guns, ropes, cables, picks, small blasters, Luke's saber, Indy's usual gear, and the latest piece of the puzzle. They stood at the edge of the pad, looking out at the fiery cloudbanks, sharp spires of stone, and acidic swamps beneath them

"This is insane," Han growled. "How do we find a bunch of hawk people in all this mess?" Luke and Leia sighed at the same time.

"It ain't gonna be easy," Indy replied, pulling out his grappling gun. "Might as well get started."

They moved from spire to spire through a network of wire, hooks, climbing spikes and raw determination. Luke and Indy switched off leading and bringing up the rear, the two most dangerous positions in a climbing regime. The latter was self trained in scaling the most insane cliff faces; the former, though not used to it, took point on account of his ability to guide the hooks and ropes through his ability in the Force. Leia busied herself in searching for any trace of the Sodukans; Han, in making sure that Leia didn't kill herself.

They moved a mile horizontally from the ship in the course of two hours, a phenomenal rate, in Indy's opinion, considering the unknown terrain, looseness of rock, and the fact that he was climbing with two rookies and a Jedi. At just over a mile, they reached a somewhat sturdy mesa and called a communal break to take stock of how far they could keep going and, more importantly, where to go.

"I'm beginning to wonder if these people even exist," Han sighed. Tired as he was, refused to sit until Leia came back from the edge of the mesa. Luke was a little bewildered at the fact that his usually orthodox sister was turning antinomian while the pirate was acting almost protective. Indy was carefully recoiling their grappling lines, oblivious to the about face Han and Leia had performed.

"No, they're here," Leia answered distractedly. She was not six inches from the edge of the mesa, scanning the surrounding peaks with Luke's field glasses. "We just have to find them."

"Why would you want to do that, I do wonder." Four heads whipped around at the strange voice. Leia precarious footing suddenly gave as she turned. She flailed and fell over the edge of mesa, plunging down the some seven hundred feet towards the bottom. Han heard her cry of shock and turned around just in time to see her fall.

"LEIA!"

The milliseconds that passed between Leia falling and the others trying to effect a rescue seemed like an eternity to Han. He cursed his own stupidity in not knowing she would fall. He cursed his fumbling with the grappling rope he was holding and the fact that he knew it would do no help. He was about to curse Leia's idiocy for standing so close to the edge when he was there, peering over it and into the strangest sight. Below them nearly twenty Sodukans were standing on a naturally formed shelf. Two were slowly descending to join the group, and suspended between them was Leia. They deposited her on the shelf as she shook off their hands and backed up from the majority of the winged people.

"LEIA!" Han hollered down. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

"I'M FINE." She snapped back at him. Both their voices reverberated off of the canyon walls, asking and answering in shadowy echoes. The Sodukans watched this interplay with stoic faces, but one could almost sense their inner merriment.

Indy, after making sure that Leia was safe (and not a giant pizza at the bottom of the canyon), he turned his gaze to study the creature who had intruded upon them. Compared with a human, the Sodukan was male. Nearly six feet in height, he appeared to only weigh about 110 pounds, though Indy thought he was less than that. His chest was bare, defined with lean, chiseled muscles and Caucasian hued skin. Beginning around his middle abdominal muscles, and lower biceps on his arms, skin transferred slowly into long grey-brown feathers. The same feathers covered the majority of his head, though shorter around his face. His eyes were large, golden, hawk shaped and curious. Huge grey-brown wings swept out behind him, almost like a cape, and touched the soft dirt at his feet.

Indy's careful observation of the Sodukan took no more than a few seconds, not much time to anyone else, but enough to cement in the archeologist's mind that this was not a person to be messed with. Especially because of the device he carried in his right, claw like, hand. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a medieval mace. Nearly two and a half feet long, the mace's head was spiked and solid. The Sodukan hefted it like it didn't weigh much, but it looked like it could put a sizeable dent in the hull of the Falcon…_or topple half these spires_. Indy almost grimaced. _Definitely not a person to mess with. Why can't I ever meet any NICE strange people? I always get the homicidal maniacs._ Han and Luke had by this time turned from the cliff's edge to join Indy in staring down the intruder.

"You have not answered my question, you have not," The Sodukan said at last.

"Question?" Han asked cautiously.

"Why you are looking for us, I am asking." The gold eyes dilated and narrowed so sharply that Indy was beginning to wonder whether they were looking right through him.

"We need your help." Luke began, focusing the Force so that the Sodukan would not see them as a threat, merely a curiosity.

"Help? Help with what, I am wondering." Luke was unsure if his mind trick had succeeded, as no change had come over the creature. But, as he was not attacking them, no change could be a good thing.

"With this." Indy reached into his bag and pulled out their latest tablet. He took a few cautious steps toward their interrogator and offered him the stone. The Sodukan's head twisted sharply to the side, very hawk like, as he snatched the tablet with his left hand. He turned it over and his gold eyes danced across the indented words.

"Numbers? Cannot the humans figure out a simple logic puzzle, I believe they can."

"We figured it out, sir," Indy said as tactfully as possible. "The numbers are a coordinate system and they led us here. We need help with what to do next." The gold eyes narrowed and stared at Indy with intense focus. Then he smiled.

"You are seeking Maceina's Puzzle, of course you are." He strode in between them and stood poised at the edge. "Wait here, I will come back with it, that I will." Huge grey-brown wings snapped open as the creature lazily flew off the side of the mesa. Two other Sodukans from the shelf beneath them followed the first, leaving the archeologist, pirate, and Jedi very confused at this strange turn of events.

DXVJKE

A sunset is possibly the most beautiful atmospheric phenomena one can come in contact with. The angle of the sun, its position relative to the tilt of a planet's axis, the amount of moisture in the air, the presence of pollution: all these mix in a different combination each and every sunset. The result is a moving, living, landscape that is different each day and each second the sun is still above the horizon. Though it means many things to many different cultures, the sunset brings a nearly universal feeling of pleasure and amazement at such a simple beauty.

Such contemplation wafted through Indy's mind as he sat and performed a rare act: watching the sun set. It was rare, obviously for the fact that this was not Earth's sun setting, but primarily because he had so little time to sit and watch the sun set. Back on Earth, teaching, grading papers, the not so occasional quest, working with the museum, and running from Nazis exhausted him to such an extent that he had neither the time nor the desire for this guiltless pleasure. But the beauty of the swirls of gold and red and purple was tinged with a pang of homesickness. This was not Earth's sun. He had come so far and had so far to go to finish what he had started. Deep down he couldn't shake the feeling that he may never get home.

"You okay?" Leia sat down beside him on a natural shelf of the cave's wall. They had grounded their climbing wires and slid carefully down towards her a few minutes after their conversation with the Sodukan. The Sodukans who had remained separated themselves from the humans, leaving both parties in a wary, waiting, silence. Uncertainty and mistrust was keeping Luke busy as he tried to instill feelings of peace in all present, without much success. Han, happy to _know_ that Leia was safe, had pulled her off a ways, where they talked for the past hour or so. Indy was left to his own devices, which boiled down to watching the sun set in between spires of red sandstone and peaks gold cloud. He now looked up at the intruder of his contemplation and smiled wearily.

"Tired." He clamped down on his homesickness and returned his mind to reality.

"Join the club," Leia stretched and half yawned, before turning her attention to the landscape. "Beautiful."

"Yeah."

"Does the sun on Earth set like this?"

"Well, except for the sulfur clouds, yeah. I never really had time to look at them."

"Neither did I." She smiled faintly. "On Alderaan, my home world, we had the most beautiful sunsets, but I was too busy to watch them. Education, internships, my senate work, then ambassadorial missions took all my time. Now I wish I had just ten minutes to watch a sunset with my family, back home."

"Can't you just go back there?" Leia shook her head.

"The Empire destroyed Alderaan a few years ago."

"Destroyed as in…?"

"As in blown apart."

"What?" Indy looked sharply at her.

"The Emperor had built a weapon that could explode planets. The Death Star. It was the epitome of everything we hated about the Empire. You cannot imagine the joy its destruction brought to people." She sighed.

"But it can't bring home back, huh?" Leia remained silent for a very long time.

"I just want to keep anyone else from having to watch their world be annihilated. That's why finding the Valley is so crucial." Indy nodded.

"If that Carron guy gets any more power, we're all screwed," he paused. "But what are we going to do with it if we find it first?" She furrowed her brow in thought.

"I don't know."

DXVJKE

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"Yes, my lord, I put it there myself."

"And are you sure it will remain with them?"

"Yes, my lord. We will not lose track of them."

"Good. Very good."

DXVJKE

"How should I know what we're gonna do with it?" The four were gathered around the shelf where Indy and Leia were sitting discussing the question that had been raised.

"You're the one who came up with this grand scheme, pal," Han said gruffly.

"I didn't. Ben did," Luke protested sharply. "And even if I did, do you expect me to take care of every detail?"

"None of this answers the question." Leia had to continually pull the conversation back to its purpose before an argument developed between her brother and her boyfriend.

"And what question is that, I am wondering." They turned (no one fell) and saw the original Sodukan returning to the cave.

"What to do next," Indy said smoothly. Leia looked at him with raised eyebrows; a look Indy studiously ignored.

"Still debating that? I have brought the answer, that I have." Apparently the creature had completely missed the princess's guilt mongering. He pulled a thin silver-grey tablet out and held it almost reverently. "But first, names are in order, that they are."

"This is Han Solo, Leia Organa, Indiana Jones, and I'm Luke Skywalker." The Sodukan's eyes flitted over each person as Luke listed their names.

"I am Reighyn, that I am." He performed a smooth half bow and walked towards his people. "Come, come. We have many questions to ask and little time, that we do." The other winged people pulled back as the group moved cautiously towards them, revealing an area covered in light thin blankets. Blue-green lamps were lit as Reighyn sat, giving an eerily welcoming presence to the interrogation. The Sodukans didn't seem malicious, but their curiosity was almost overwhelming to Luke, who had given up projecting thoughts of peace towards them.

"Come, sit." Han and Luke sat closest to Reighyn, with Leia and Indy sitting directly across from him. "They are easy questions, that they are." Time passed slowly as Reighyn listened to their story. It had been unanimously agreed upon before that truth was the best option for answering the Sodukan's questions about their search. He seemed quite interested in the historical aspect of it all, and anxious when Indy and Luke described the Sith lord who was also searching for the Valley.

"It seems to me that perhaps it would be better to cease your search, that it seems," Reighyn said at last.

"But if we don't find it first, Carron most definitely will." Urgency was apparent in Luke's voice.

"I do agree with that, most certainly. However, if you do find it, what do you intend to do afterwards, I am wondering." The gold eyes settled piercingly on Indy, as though the Sodukan knew that this question had been raised before.

"We don't really know," Indy sighed. Leia was shocked at how quickly the archeologist went from hiding their earlier discussion to speaking openly about it. _What is he up to? These people may never tell us what the next piece is if we admit to…_ but her thoughts, and fears, were warmly contradicted. Reighyn laughed.

"There are very few we have met who are so open with their indecision, very few indeed. You are truly worthy of receiving Maceina's puzzle. But a word of caution: I strongly suggest that you plan what to do with the Valley very soon, very soon indeed." Reighyn pulled out the thin tablet and handed it gently to Luke. "Take courage, Master Jedi, I believe you will need it greatly in the next few days, that you will." The Sodukan lapsed into silence, watching as Luke gave the stone to Leia and Indy readied his journal for note taking.

The other Sodukans seated themselves in concentric rings around the group as Leia began the translations in her head. Han, not to comfortable with the interest that the creatures were taking in them, asked Reighyn what they were doing. The Hawk laughed again.

"Maceina's Puzzle is very, very precious, because of what it guards. The ancients forbid anyone to read it until the Jedi came to find it, that they did. Now, you have come, that you have. We have never heard what she wrote, and, as all the puzzles we have are very, very old, they are eager to try their hand at the Master's craft."

"Master?" Indy asked, looking up from his journal.

"Yes, of course. Maceina was the greatest of the riddle workers, that she was. Her skill in crafting words and numbers is legendary amongst us. All of our children are awarded when they can work out her puzzles for the first time, that they are." Leia looked up and nodded at Indy. An immediate silence fell over everyone; not that it was needed. The cave was a natural amplifier keeping Leia from having to use her orator's voice.

"Stand upon my mountain high,  
"When dawn's first glory pierces through  
"The blanket thick, which wraps the sky,  
"With rays of gold and amber hue.  
"When sun upon the mountain's face  
"Shines down and warms the granite dun,  
"The mighty Sirocco shall trace  
"The path to walk behind the sun.  
"Follow long this road of wind,  
"The freezing flame thou must not fear.  
"The Jedi knows where to begin,  
"For him the misty road is clear."

"You know, I'm getting tired of all these rhymes," Han grumbled almost to himself.

"Where should we start?" Luke asked, more to Indy than to anyone else. He had gotten used to relying on the archeologist for solving the majority of their problems on this hunt. It was surprising when Indy did not provide the answer.

"How well are you at climbing?"

And NOW the fun begins.

Stick around people. I've got another chapter in the works but don't expect it for at least two weeks. I'm gonna try and get better at this now, I promise.

DXVJKE


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a bag of M&M's…and a pair of combat boots…

**The Black Inferno Alchemist**: Thanks. I cannot write any other style of poetry than this. Though I do have a little free verse coming up in later (much later) chapters.  
**Carey Ann Lupin**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Thanks for adding me to your C2, I feel very honored. Please stick around, as there shall be many more little clues to come. Thanks for reviewing!  
**Coyote Guardian Spirit**: Okay, you get major cookies for trying to figure it out (Huzzah for you!). You are right on most counts, as you shall see here. as for the rest, you shall have to wait until the next chapter. Thanks so much for reviewing. BTW, how can there be a Celtic site in Pennsylvania in the 1100's? Just wondering…  
**Han-Skywalker**: Well, I got this out before my six-week deadline (Huzzah for me!). glad that my writing helps you get through school, and I understand what you mean. Its worse when you have homework on stuff that teachers haven't covered in class (ooooh that irks me to no end!) ANYWAY, I've figured out a way to get the gang to earth, so be on the lookout for that. thanks again for the idea.  
**Indy Pollard**: thank you thank you thank you. I've got more detail in this one (mostly because I stink at writing conversations…)  
**Jedi Master Evenstar**: HOORAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Thank you ever so much for reviewing and I hope that you stick around for the end. As for LeiaXIndy shipping…uhhh…no. I am a definite LeiaXHan shipper…not that Han knows that… ;-D  
**Jedi X-Man**: Oh I am SOOOO GLAD! And a new computer: HUZZAH! Thanks for the review!  
**RavenRulzRF**: Updated, and guess what? The gag is only mentioned here…hehehe. Tell me what you think and thanks for reviewing.

Only nine reviews? Hmmm…maybe I should take a sabbatical if y'all aren't interested in this anymore.

Chapter 21  
Sirocco

"You can NOT be serious." Heads twisted to look at Han. The pirate had a mixture of shock and utter disbelief plastered on his face as he glared at Reighyn.

"I beg your pardon?" The Sodukan's cocked his head and stared at Han, bewildered.

"Do you mean to tell me that you've already figured that out?" Han pointed at the silver-grey stone in Leia's hands.

"Oh yes, it is quite easy, that it is." Indy glanced up briefly from his note taking, only to take in the nodding heads of the other Sodukans, before he asked the question on the questor's minds.

"So, what are we supposed to do then?" Reighyn smiled.

"It will be easier to show you, that it will. But first, we must eat."

DXVJKE

The hyperdrive was broken, again. Chewbacca sighed as he reached for a wrench. It seemed like the Falcon was constantly breaking ever since they began this accursed, galactic, treasure hunt. But the Wookie had seen enough of the Jedi to know that when a particular course of action was advised, it was best to follow that plan. Distant memories of the Clone Wars echoed through his mind as he twisted his arm a little more to tweak this one wire. Friendship, betrayal, slavery, the humiliation of his people at the hands of the empire; no, this could not happen again. One emperor was enough and the rise of a second must be stopped at all costs. Even if it meant living in the engine room to keep the hyperdrive working.

Still, it would be nice if whatever hand of fate kept breaking it would quit. Chewbacca slowly extricated his mass from the inner workings of the 'drive, careful not to break any of the repairs he had just made. R2 was waiting at on the last bit of flat metal grate before the beginnings of jumbled mass termed the hyperdrive. The little droid had been reporting on the progress that Chewbacca made, reading it off the diagnostic computer, pinpointing what must be fixed, and beeping it across the engine room. The Wookie had begun to develop a friendship with R2, finding that his ingenuity and usefulness were almost designed for the constant repairs that the Falcon needed.

The two of them had been going at the 'drive for nearly eight hours without rest. Chewbacca was dusty, sore, practically covered in lubricant, and hungry, a dangerous combination for any Wookie. R2 tried to better their situation with a cheerful procession of beeps reporting on the current stability of the 'drive. Chewbacca was a little pleased, but more interested in dinner and sleep. It is no wonder, therefore, when he nearly tore C3PO's arms off.

DXVJKE

C3PO had spent three of the past ten hours since Master Luke and the others had left reorganizing the various language references the computer had in its banks. Afterwards, finding that Chewbacca and R2 were engrossed in that horrible mess that General Solo termed the hyperdrive, he went into the cockpit with the intention of listening for any signals that Master Luke raised. After an hour of silence, he shut himself off for the next six.

C3PO snapped his circuits on to as the com unit crackled to life.

_"Hey, anyone awake there?" _C3PO jerked forward to answer Han's computer recreated voice.

"Yes, General Solo, how may I be of assistance?" The protocol droid thought for an instant that he heard a groan, but he brushed it off as interference.

_"Where's Chewie?"_ C3PO had always suspected that the pirate captain disliked him, but, as human emotions were always so difficult to comprehend, ignored it. The brusque manner in Han's voice was therefore processed as fatigue due to the long search that he was on.

"Down repairing the hyperdrive I believe, sir."

_"Well, go get him!"_ It must have been a very long search.

"Certainly. One moment." C3PO shut off the com and exited the cockpit as quickly as his circuits could carry him. The urgency in Han's voice must mean that they were either in danger or were very close to discovering the location of the next clue. Though C3PO really dislike all this scampering about the galaxy, it was of great importance to Master Luke, and that was all that really mattered. Brightening internally with the line of thought that he was helping in every possible way he could, he was quite dismayed to run into a very disgruntled Wookie. And he did literally run into him.

"Chewbac—Umph." Though his parts were very sturdy, the mass of a simple protocol droid was nothing in comparison with that of a full grown Wookie. C3PO struggled for a minute to regain his feet before relaying his message.

"Chewbacca, General Solo is on the com. He wishes to talk with you."

"Aaarnnngg eehhhhh."

"No, he didn't say exactly why. But he was quite urgent, I suggest you hurry." In retrospect, it was probably not his place to induce speed in Chewbacca's gait. Still, such a small prodding in the correct direction was in no rational way the reason for the Wookie's actions. Chewbacca slammed C3PO in the chest with such force that the protocol droid flew nearly two feet before hitting the bulkhead. He watched Chewbacca stalk off towards the cockpit as R2 whirred up next to him. The little droid let off a series of quiet beeps.

"Slightly agitated?" C3PO gingerly sat up, mentally probing for damaged circuitry. "R2, you have a gifting for understating the obvious."

DXVJKE

In all actuality, slightly agitated was the extent of Chewbacca's foul mood. It wasn't that he was angry, just tired. He had had too much to do in one short span of time and the hyperdrive was nearly all consuming. The thought of firing up the engine before his repairs had had time to set in was frustrating. Not to mention the fact that going to save Han and the others meant no dinner and no bed, at least not for a while. Still, the Wookie's sense of loyalty was all consuming and he could NOT leave his friends in whatever situation they were.

He slumped into his seat in the cockpit and flipped on the com unit. "Aaarrrhhhnnn."

_"Chewie? Glad it's you and not that gold plated little…how's the hyperdrive?"_

"Arrnn eeeooohhhhh hhnnnn aggg."

_"That well? Sure hope it takes this time."_

"Ghhhhnnnn urhhh."

"_I need you to pick us up in about an hour. Think the Falcon'll be ready by then?"_

"Yyynnnnn urr hhhhggggg uooollllllhh. Jhhnn arrrhnn eoolllnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn."

_"Hour-an-a-half's fine. There's a huge mesa where we're camped; we'll meet you there. I'll send the coordinates in a sec."_

"Ernn hvvnnn arrrhhhnnn."

"_Right, see ya then." _The com went silent and Chewbacca sighed with relief. There was no need for a last minute rescue attempt, no rush that would break his painstaking repairs, and even time for dinner. The urgency that C3PO had mentioned must have been to get the protocol droid off the com. Chewbacca almost laughed, C3PO could be quite annoying at times. The Wookie stood and moved off to the mess area.

DXVJKE

The hour and a half flew by rather quickly as Chewbacca and R2 went through finalizing all their repairs and prepairing for takeoff. C3PO was standing watch over the com in case any more messages came through. He was happy to help; Chewbacca was happy he was helping somewhere else. Last minute checks were run through and the Falcon slowly lifted herself from her rusty resting-place and hovered in the lower atmosphere. The coordinates that Han had sent through were barely a mile from where they were currently; thus there was no need to fly far. The closeness of their new destination, however, meant that Chewbacca was going to be doing some very delicate maneuvering to keep the Falcon level and in one piece.

The sun had set nearly two hours ago and the night was a mixture of starlight and sulfur, which made the stars look very golden and hazy. Only the bright ones could be picked out, not that Chewbacca was stargazing. His attention was more on the hidden spires of rock, sudden up thrusts from the sulfur swamps below, and general atmospheric phenomena that reminded him why he hated flying within a planet's atmosphere.

There. Chewbacca spotted the mesa where Han and the others were waiting. He could make out the beams of their flashlights as they guided him down. The Falcon gently touched the mesa, slowly letting her full weight down as Chewbacca gauged whether the rock face would hold. It did.

Chewbacca waited in the living area with C3PO and R2 for the group to enter. Han and Luke did so first, dumping the extra gear, followed by Indy, who was gingerly handling the stone tablets, and Leia. The last to enter the room was Reighyn, who was quickly introduced. The Sodukan gingerly sat on one of the couches, his golden eyes taking everything at once.

"This will be an adventure, that it will," he smiled. "My people rarely travel in these space ships."

"Speaking of traveling, you gonna tell us where we're going now?" Han asked gruffly. He was glad to be back in the Falcon, but a ship's kind of useless without a destination.

"Yes," Reighyn offered him a small scrap of sandstone. On in was a set of numbers, coordinates. "These will be helpful, I believe." Han took the rock and, motioning to Chewbacca, headed towards the cockpit.

"How did you get coordinates?" Leia asked.

"Oh, we have the maps that the Galactic Cartographer's Society made for our world, that we do. They are old, but still effective, I believe."

"Will you tell us how you got the answer so quickly?" Indy asked, taking out his notebook.

"Of course. The destination is quite simple, that it is. We must go to Sirocco."

"Go where?"

"Sirocco. It is one of the two tallest mountains on Soduka, that it is. The other is Eirené, which is slightly taller, but does not fit the description, it does not."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked

"The riddle speaks of wind. Eirené has barely any, as it sits on our equator, that it does. The destination, then, is easy to understand, yes it is. The rest makes little sense to me, but as I have said before, this is why I wish to come, that I do." Reighyn had requested during dinner to travel with them so that he might fully know the answer to the riddle. His people could not abide with an unsolved puzzle, and, as solving the rest meant performing the actions given, a witness was needed. Reighyn seemed almost overjoyed at the prospect of traveling with them.

DXVJKE

When Reighyn spoke of Sirocco being a mountain, Indy had pictured it as merely a larger version of the sandstone pillars that they had spent all day climbing over. Then, they reached the mountain's base, and all ideas of a large pillar were purged. Sirocco was massive; there was no way around it. It was like standing in the base of the Grand Canyon on Earth and looking up at Denali. The majority of the sandstone pillars slowly descended into the swamps, creating a massive bowl out of which Sirocco rose. The mountain was huge and dwarfed the few other mountains that surrounded it. Her peak was easily as tall as Everest, if not taller, but it did not look snowcapped.

The eastern sky was growing pink with the approaching sunrise. Indy, Luke, Leia and Reighyn had joined Han and Chewbacca in the cockpit to stare at Sirocco in the growing daylight. The slight light marked the mountain against the darker western sky, making her height and mass all the more apparent. Han was beginning to recalibrate the Falcon's stabilizers to compensate for the wind coming off the mountain's face while Chewbacca scanned for anyplace they could set down.

"Urrnn iiiiihhhhvvvvv alln. Jjhhhhhhhhhhhh." Han looked over at him sharply.

"You're kidding." Indy, still confused by the Wookie's speech, asked for a translation.

"He said that the mountain is mostly igneous rock with a massive hollow cavern in its middle."

"You mean it's a volcano?"

"Dormant, but yeah."

"Great," Indy swore softly under his breath. Climbing through a volcano was not his idea of fun. _Dormant? Yeah right._ Knowing his luck, it would probably go off underneath their feet.

They found a small shelf near the top of Sirocco that could support the Falcon. The droids again elected to stay within the Falcon; the others began to climb. The slope of the mountain was steep igneous rock, gritty with sand, and barren of any vegetation. The ancient magma crust was worn smooth by the acid rain, and any ascent would have been impossible except that the same acid rain had collected in tiny pockets, making perfect hand and toe holds. The atmosphere was thin, nearly nonexistent, and all members were given oxygen masks.

Reighyn went up first. As he was the lightest and by far the most agile of the group, he took by far the most dangerous job. He would climb some ten feet above the rest of them and hammer a sharp spike into the mountain's face. On the spike, he was to clip the climbing rope to which they were all harnessed, and then ascend the next ten feet. At sunrise, which was a little more than an hour away, they had to be at the peak, a little more than 150 feet above them, by Indy's estimation. The hand and toe holds made the ascent easier, but it was going to be quite a squeeze to climb ten feet every four minutes. Still, they had to try.

Reighyn had the first two spikes set, with Indy bracing him during the hammering part, when the wind began to blow. Though they had figured some wind during the climb, this kind of wind was insane. It was gale force, cold, bone dry, and filled with gritty, skin tearing, sand. Indy was blessing his lucky stars that Luke had sense enough to issue goggles to everyone before they began climbing. The sand filled his clothes, burned at the areas of exposed skin, and generally numbed him with its icy fingers.

The first blast of wind shook them with its unexpected force. They all clung instinctively to the side of the mountain and froze there. Luke, on the bottom, realized that if they stayed like this they would never make it anywhere. He reached up and began climbing until he bumped into Chewbacca, just above him. The Wookie looked down, catching the signal to move upward and also began to climb. This upwards moving cascade knocked into Leia next, then Han, Indy and at last Reighyn. The Sodukan was not happy about this at all. His people never went out in this kind of wind, except in dire need, for fear of losing flight control. But he had to move.

Keeping as close as he could to the rock face, Reighyn inched upwards, with Indy at his heels, to the next ten foot mark. The archeologist offered up the next spike and leaned his weight against the back of Reighyn's legs. The Sodukan fitted the spike into a handhold and raised the hammer to slam it into the rock. The wind blew down fiercely and Reighyn lost his grip, falling backwards. Indy reached up instinctively and slammed his forearm into Reighyn's back, giving him that instant of resistance he needed to regain balance. Reighyn hooked the hammer's claw into a foothold and used it to pull himself upright. Ascent began again.

DXVJKE

The summit was a small, scooped out, caldera, some thirty feet in diameter and half as deep. The western side was crusted with ice, the eastern side with sand. The wind was a fierce constant, cold and incessant, though slightly moister than it had been during their climb. The group rolled over the side in various states of exhaustion. Luke carefully unhooked himself from the tether and gingerly stood up. They had been practically silent on the climb up and when he spoke over the com links, the broken silence sounded eerie and nearly sacrilegious.

"What do we do now?" The others also untethered themselves as Indy replied.

"Watch the sun rise." He reached numbed fingers into his bag for his journal.

The bitter wind let up just enough them to get up off the sandy floor so that they could watch the sun rise. It broke the clouds with such finality that it almost blinded the six weary climbers with its light. The intense red gold light poured and swirled in amongst pillars of amber making them shine like pure gold. The sunlight slowly shifted through the clouds, ticking past the seconds as they waited for something to happen. It took nearly an hour of waiting, watching the landscape change beneath their feet, before the silence was broken again.

"Why was it so important to get up here before sunrise just to wait here for hours?" Leia sighed. _Sometimes Han as absolutely no appreciation for beauty whatsoever_. She was about to respond when a soft groan issued from beneath their feet.

"What the Sith was that?" The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, like some giant shaking in his sleep. Indy's first idea was that the volcano had reactivated, but there was no change in temperature. They moved instinctively away from the center of the caldera and towards the last of the climbing spikes. The rumbling increased and the wind picked up, hurtling over the opposite side of the caldera and whipping at the sand near their feet.

A grinding, crashing sound began, but the sand flew so fiercely that none dared to look at what was going on. Indy clapped the journal to his chest with his left hand and wrapped his right arm around the flapping end of the tether. The others followed suit, groping blindly to find the rope, hanging on for dear life. The grinding reached near deafening proportions and then stopped.

The wind too had stopped. Or rather, it had stopped blowing at them. The sand no longer blinding him, Indy slowly opened his eyes and watched the swirling vortex of freezing wind being sucked into a large crevice in the caldera's center.

"What the hell…?" At his comment the others too moved away from the edge and toward this apparent mystery.

"That…that was not…here…it was not," Reighyn stuttered. Indy began flipping through his journal to write what happened as the others examined the phenomenon.

"What do we do?" Leia asked.

"Go down there," Indy said, handing her his copy of the latest clue.

"AUUUUUURRRRRNNNNNNN!"

"I'm with Chewie. No way on Eckk's red world am I going down there." The black mouth continued to suck away at the cold sulfuric air. Indy could see his point.

"We have to," Leia said grimly.

"Are you out of your MIND?" Han whirled around to face her. "Leigh, come on, go down THERE?"

"Yes, down there. Listen: 'The might Sirocco shall trace the path to walk behind the sun. Follow long this road of wind.' That's where the clue leads."

"These people are nuts." Han growled as he reached to get the gear that he took off an hour ago. "Absolutely nuts."

"I too am beginning to question the Jedi's sanity, that I am," Reighyn sighed. He stretched his huge wings and carefully refolded them so as not to damage them in the descent. Indy took his journal back from Leia, put it in his pack, and began to buckle himself back into the climbing harness.

"Right, lets get back into our positions so we can begin descending."

"That won't be necessary, Indy," Luke said, rounding the hole.

"Huh?"

"Look." The Jedi walked back around to the far side of the wind tunnel, with Indy in tow, and pointed at the ground.

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle."

* * *

Any guesses as to what they found? And you shall have to guess 'cause I'm not telling. Right, just a heads up to all of y'all who still read this, I'm gonna take a bit of a break from Raiders to do some reorganization of the plot. Some of my original ideas are not going to work now, and as I hate plot bunnies, I need to do a massive overhaul on my outline for the story. All that is to say is this story is probably gonna end up with around 50 chapters total and I don't think my next chapter will come out until sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving. My mind needs a break, I have midterms coming up, and I'm going to give my muses a much needed Vacation. So, if a chapter comes out before November be surprised. Reviews may encourage me to go a little faster, but anyways, thanks for being such great readers/reviewers and I'll look foreward to seeing you in November. Til then, I am as ever,  
DarkX


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I own nothing but some bad sketches. Chapter title comes from LotR:tFotR, which is perhaps the greatest fantasy fiction EVER written…

**The Black Inferno Alchemist**: no and no, and as for a bone, well, just read me the chapter. Thanks for the review.  
**Coyote Guardian Spirit**: huh…what a random bit of trivia to remember…thanks for answering my question and good luck on your test.  
**Dm1**: YOU ARE SO SWEET!!! I'm sorry about your finger, and as for Luke knowing what to do…just read on…thanks for sticking around and reviewing.  
**Han-Skywalker**: yay confetti!! No, no monkeys. But some fun stuff definitely. . and look, I updated before thanksgiving…yay for me!**  
Indy Pollard**: NO CLIMBING??? Oh come on, I'mnot THAT nice… heeheeeheeehheee…and I did. Thanks for reviewing.  
**Jedi X-Man**: Thankyouthankyouthankyou. Yay for a new computer…more idiots please!!!  
**Jedi Master Evenstar**: YAY FOR YOU!!! I understand about the shipping. I was going a little in the LIndy mode but my sister was going to pummel me if I did anything other than Lan…it would be interesting, but I fear for my personal safety. XD  
**LunaticPandora1**: uhhhh…ELEVATOR? No, that would be way too easy…evil laughter  
**Mark Solo**: HURRAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!!! Yay. Thanks for reviewing and please stick around.  
**RavenRulzRF**: wrong on both accounts, but thanks for guessing and reviewing. Cookies for you!  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: thanks and I'm sorry about the long periods of time in between updates. I've been pouring all my creativeness into sketching and all my writing skills into stupid papers for school. The monkey idea was quite funny and as for then next installment...well...here you go.

**AN** well, it is before thanksgiving and i have updated (YAY FOR ME!) but it is a shorter chapter. i just had to stop where i did, it didn't make any sense any other way. anyways...read on!

Chapter 22  
Drums in the Deep

"You've GOT to be kidding." Han leaned over and between Luke and Indy to stare at what the Jedi had found. The wind was not being sucked down a truly round hole. Jutting out, on the far side, was a triangular shaped rock that slowly tapered down into a point.

"What the Sith is that?" Indy shielded his eyes from the swirling wind to stare at the simple device that was suspended from the bottom of the stalactite.

"It's a fireman's pole." He crouched to examine it. The dull grey metal pole was some three inches in diameter and dropped straight down as far as they could see.

"A What?"

"A fireman's pole."

"What's a fireman?" Indy looked up into Luke's face, while seeming to ignore Han's question.

"Should we try it?" The Jedi asked simply.

"What other choice is there?" The wind continued to swirl in a thunderous vortex, spelling doom to the 'other choice'. Climbing down by hand was suicide, there was no other way around it. But the pattern in the swirling wind made a kind of tunnel around the pole.

"I'm game." Leia said, rubbing sandy soil on her gloved hands.

"Whoa, whoa. Climbing down seems stupid enough but _sliding_ down? Are you guys nuts?"

"We could just through you down, Han," she snapped at him.

"Eirrrnnnnnn ohhnllll." Chewie stooped to also rub sand on his huge paws.

"FINE."

"Good," Indy said. He turned to Reighyn. "You still want to come with us?"

"Why would I not, I am wondering." The Hawk's eyes glinted with excitement. "The Puzzle can not be solved by standing up here, that it cannot. And this hole will not be open forever, it won't." Indy and Luke nodded. The Jedi stepped forward.

"I'll go first. I'll be able to feel if it suddenly breaks." He walked out slowly onto the rock ledge, sat and swung his legs over until they wrapped around the pole. The wind was seen wildly snagging and pulling at his clothes, but it did nothing to seriously deter his movements. Luke clung to the pole for a moment, just long enough to nod at the others, before he dropped.

Indy had every intention of staying until Luke reached the bottom when that awful screeching sound began. Leia grabbed his shoulder and yelled above the din.

"The mountain's closing up. We've gotta go now." He barely nodded before pushing her out onto the ledge to begin sliding. Leia caught Han's arm and roughly yanked him out to follow right behind her. Chewie went next, with Reighyn bringing up the rear. Indy watched all of them slide down the pole as the gap in the mountain's face slowly narrowed. He followed last, just getting on the pole as the daylight above him cut off.

Dark, inky blackness rushed and swirled about his face and arms as he slid rapidly down the pole. All his previous thoughts of the stability and security of this means of transportation now had little bearing. The wind still tugged and twisted around him, an event he would have found interesting if he weren't focused on what was waiting for them at the bottom. He could barely hear the others falling below him; and he could almost make out the shape of Reighyn's slender bulk as the Sodukan slid with great determination. They had been sliding down for nearly thirty seconds, and Indy chanced to try and look below Reighyn. _That's a stupid idea. What do you expect to see? You'll probably blind yourself with the wind. And besides its not like there's any…what the hell is that?_

A light.

_Could it be a light? No, it couldn't. Could it? _

DXVJKE

Luke and focused his entire sense in the Force to travel down the length of the pole before him. He could feel every vibration, every rhythm, every scratch and dent and bump on its surface. He could feel where it was rooted in the rocks above his head and…he could feel it going deep into the stone far below. Or not so far below him. the end was coming quickly, and he readied his legs for the touch down. The smooth, cold, magma absorbed the impact as he quickly stepped away from the pole. The darkness was too extensive for him to step too far away, for fear of finding that this wasn't solid ground he was standing on but a hardened disc of magma. He grasped his lightsaber as a faint grinding sounded above him. Igniting it, he stared in wonder as the green-white light bounced and reflected off the cavern's walls, and he forgot the troubling noise in awe of its vastness. To say it was huge was a massive understatement; one could easily fit half a Star Destroyer in here. He was about to go explore the edges of it when a _whooshing_ sound caught his attention. Looking up, he could barely see Leia, Han, Chewie, Reighyn and Indy sliding down in quick succession. He held his saber aloft so that they could at least see something in this dark.

Leia touched down and immediately stepped away to keep from being landed on by Han. The pirate was a bit slower to step away and would have certainly been crushed under Chewie if Leia hadn't grabbed his arm and pulled, hard.

"GRRRuuuuuuuuuuNNNNNNNNN!" The Wookie stepped a bit dizzily away from their means of transport before growling his dislike of it. His voice echoed noisily off the roof and walls of the cavern, making a cacophony out of the Wookie's disgust.

"You said it Chewie."

"What did he say, I am wondering," Reighyn dismounted the pole and spotted Indy as he too descended the last few feet.

"Basically? He said I'll be damned if I EVER go down that thing again."

"He said all that in one word?" Indy looked incredulous.

"Well, I said it was a basic translation, I don't do verbatim." Indy looked at the Wookie for a moment before reaching into his bag for a torch. The white torchlight broke through the darkness, illuminating farther than Luke's saber could. The Jedi reverently extinguished his lightsaber and, reattaching it to his belt, removed his torch as well. The others followed suit and in a moment, six white beams of light stabbed through the darkness. As the others used their lights to explore the far corners of the almost circular cavern, Indy shot his back up the pole.

"Odd," was all he muttered as he slowly walked around the pole straining to see.

"What is?" Luke asked, moving back towards the archeologist.

"The cavern mouth closed up back there," Indy guestured with his head. "That's why we came down so soon after you."

"I heard the grinding sound. But that kind of makes sense. I mean, if they desighned it to close once someone had entered the cave—"  
"No, that's not what I find odd." Indy interrupted as he began to sweep his light along the ceiling.

"What then?"

"Where's the wind coming from?"

"What do you mean?" Indy reached down and removed his shoe, dumping a handful of sand on the floor. Returning his shoe to its proper place, he scooped the sand up and tossed it in the air by the pole. His torchlight tracked it as the dust was blown along at head height, depositing itself in a straight line away from the pole.

"If the mouth above were fully closed, the wind could not be that strong."

"It could come from another source, that it could." Reighyn had been watching them. "Magma does not exit from one source alone, that it does not."

"That explains that line in the clue," Leia said, joining them along the line of sand. "'Follow long this path of wind'. It's gotta be how we find the next clue." Han turned around to face them.

"You mean we gotta keep scooping up sand to make—" Luke whipped around with his lightsaber activated, standing battle ready and alert. "Kid?"

"Didn't you hear it?"

"Hear what?" Han had his hand on his blaster and a look of worry on his face.

"The drums." Leia and Indy exchanged glances.

"What drums, Luke?" Leia asked gently.

"The—THERE!" Luke took two quick steps forward. "There, did you hear them?"

"I didn't hear anything, Kid. You're imagination's playing tricks on you."

"It's NOT my imagination, Han, they're coming from over there." He deactivated his saber and rushed off to one of the sides of the cavern that Han had been probing earlier.

"There's nothing over there, Luke, I just made a thorough sweep of that area." Han shot a worried look at Leia as Reighyn hefted his mace and followed the Jedi slowly. Luke ran right towards the wall and to their horror walked right through it.

"LUKE!" Leia raced forward to where her brother had been standing only to find solid rock. "LUKE! LUKE CAN YOU HEAR ME?" She began pounding on where he entered, trying desperately to find the entrance to wherever it was Luke went.

"I'm right here, Leigh." She turned to her left and nearly fell over. Luke's head and his right shoulder were emerging from solid rock. "And you don't have to shout. Sound really echoes in here." He stepped out fully and grabbed her hand. "Come on, we've gotta move quickly." Indy stood at the back and watched as his companions vanished in 'solid' rock. There was a small fissure in the side of the cavern, which was disguised by the overlay of one side. But the over lay so perfectly matched the wall behind it, it looked as though there was no difference between one wall and the other. Indy slowly stepped into the fissure, following the five in front of him. _Luke may be going crazy, but how else could we find this?_ He could feel the wind tugging at the corners of his hair, unprotected as he had left his fedora in the Falcon. The cold of the wind was still biting, but not as dusty.

"Come on, guys, the drums are this way." Luke yelled from up ahead and Indy wondered about their impromptu leader's sanity once again.

"Luke, we don't hear any—" Leia froze as the narrow passageway opened to reveal another cavern; but this was very different from the one they had just left. It was smaller by far, long and narrow, but just as high. Luke and Leia stepped to the sides as the others came through. Chewie, who had to walked hunched to fit inside the fissure, could finally stand up straight and growled his enjoyment. Indy stepped in and stared with the others at the dark cavern. He slowly swept his light across the far wall as Luke took one determined step forward. As soon has his foot hit the floor there was a loud, audible click, that filled and echoed through the cavern. Indy grabbed the Jedi and yanked him backwards.

"What was that for?" Luke wrested his arm out of the archeologist's grip, looking agitated.

"In my business, loud clicks in dark cavern floors u—" Leia gasped.

"LOOK!" two lights were emerging from the side walls. They watched as the cavern was illuminated for one moment before a wall of fire erupted from one side which hit a blast of air being emitted from the other side. The two primal forces hit in the middle, filling the cavern with the sulfuric smell of burning oxygen, causing Indy to shield his face. He waited for the blast of blazing hot air to hit them, and was shocked to feel his exposed skin grow numb with a cold he had never experienced before.

"What…what is that?" Han pulled his gloves back on, as the room grew colder than Hoth. "How can that fire be cold?"

"It's…" Leia took a hesitant step forward, "It's the…"

DXVJKE

DOOOOMMM

DOOOOMMM

The pounding…it was intense, unending, like a heartbeat thrumming through his body. His blood and muscles began to beat with the bass of the drum, pounding.

When the fire and wind collided, the drum increased in both frequency and intensity… it was maddening and he had to stop it.

TTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTTUMtum

The drums drove all thoughts of the cold, of the fire, of the quest from him. He had to get to those drums and stop them. Had to stop them. Had to stop them. _I have to…_

"STOP THEM!"

DXJKE

Leia whipped her head away from the fire only to watch in horror as her brother charged headlong into the wall.

"LUKE! NO!" She reached for him, only to grasp a handful of frozen wind. Luke didn't even hesitate but drove through the flaming wall, only to vanish on the other side. Leia immediately followed her brother, forgetting the fact that she too would be burned. _I have to help him_.

"LEIGH! No wait…" Han plunged after his love, the other's hard on his heels. They felt neither cold nor heat, plunging through the wall. Han pulled up short to keep from slamming into Leia, who was staring at her brother.

DXVJKE

TTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTUMtum TTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTTUMtum TTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTTUMtumTTTUMtum…

No drums…but the drumming continued. _They have to be here…_he tried to focus his power in the Force to find the drums in the walls, but the thrumming merely increased in frequency until it was one long, steady hum.

He couldn't breathe. He could feel his heart increase in speed to try and keep up with the drums, but…no. that would cause his death. _Focus. Gotta focus. Gotta st…_

It was too much. A muted cry escaped his lips and he dropped to his knees.

DXVJKE

MWHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!! yes, i am evil. sorry. three short pages and a major cliffy, sorry. but don't worry, i've come up with what to do next so you can probably expect another chapter by thanksgiving. i've been also writing the ending of this, and, let me tell you, it is gonna be sweet. oh one other thing: HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! to all of you who have been around with me, major party dudes, we've made it to one year. hopefully it won't be that long to finish, but...well, i won't make any promises. got some great characters lined up in the future and one killer ending. looking forward.

DarkX


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I own nothing...well...almost nothing...I do own some nice stuff...just not this...and...lemme start over...I own nothing that pertains to this story other than the plot lines and plot twists and plot holes and my original characters and...this isn't working...okay, three's the charm...I own nothing owned by anyone else...there, you happy?

**NOTES:  
****Carey Ann Lupin**: oh thank you for the warm squishies!  
**Dm1**: Drums? Maybe you can figure it out in this chapter, certainly in the next. And yes, they are kind of showing him the way…but…no I shan't say anymore. Read on, faithful reviewer! And thanks for the encouragement!  
**Han-Skywalker**: oh my, long review…in order talked about: because I'm evil. I like fire poles. Yes, Luke is out cold…for now…evil laugh…and no, I won't kill him…in THIS chapter…another evil laugh Reighyn's accent is based off of a mix of Yoda's and this weird Russian accent that my dad does sometimes…yeah…I never watched the LBT series…so I wouldn't know about Ducky…I like using ellipses… yes, IJatLC plays something major in this fic (I mean come on, Harrison Ford AND Sean Connery??? How sweet is that???)…Indy was about to say: "In my business, loud clicks in dark cavern floors usually means booby traps" or something to that nature: as in…well…practically every archeological dig he's been to…the fire is cold because it is being hit by freezingly cold air from the other side of the room…basically, this mixture of hot and cold makes the air around it cool rather than blazing hot: thus, freezing flame (so I had some fun with alliterations, I'm the writer, I am omnipotent here and another evil laugh) sorry to make you wait and here is the next chapter.  
**Jedi X-Man**: HUZZAH!! And I R&R'ed your fic. How are you going to make the depressing ending funny??? Can't wait!  
**Jedi Master Evenstar**: coke for breakfast? Hope it was the soda not the illegal drug…and hyperness is good. How do you think I came up with this stuff??? And fortunatley my sister is too small to pummel me! - Thanks for the review!  
**Piper xox Leo**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Thank you so very much and do stick around.  
**RavenRulzRF**: thank you MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! And I have, though it was not soon…

**SOME MORE NOTES: **yes, i'm a lazy bum who doesn't update enough but if you even comprehended what my semester's end was like you wouldn't complain AT ALL! whoohoo for me getting up before new years! great joy and gladness. starting on the next even as we speak. so...buttons...anywho...next chapter!

**Chapter 23  
The Seen and the Seer**

"We've gotta get him out of here." Indy said, stepping forward. Leia shot her hand out to bar him from touching Luke.

"No, I…" her face twisted in rapt concentration, as though she were searching for something. "I can hear them."

"Hear what?"

"The drums…I…they're faint, but…I can hear them." Han and Indy exchanged worried looks.

"That's it." Han strode towards the prone Jedi. "We're leaving, now."

"What? No, we can't." Leia stepped away from him, a look of defiance replaced the one of focus.

"Luke started hearing faint drums and now he's unconscious. We can't make the climb back up the mountain carrying _two_ sets of dead weight. We've gotta get out of here before you collapse too."

"I do not think that we can climb that pole, that I do not." Reighyn piped up. "Even if the wind and the darkness did not impede us, which it will, there is no way to reopen the mountain, there is not."

"ARRNNAHnnnaaaaaaaaaaaa geehhhhnnnnnnn." Han glared at the Wookie.

"If he said, there's no way I'm climbing up that pole, I completely agree with him." Indy said. Han was about to begin protesting when the archeologist broke in. "Look, this is a volcano, right? Have you ever heard of a volcano with only one main shaft? There's gotta be a secondary shaft around here that we can use to get out."

"We need to follow the drums," Leia said softly.

"WHAT DRUMS?" Han barked in exasperation.

"I think its—" She stopped. Luke was getting up. But at the same time, it was not Luke that stood from the floor.

"Kid?" Han leaned towards his younger friend, near joy on his face. "You really scared the…" The Jedi was now at his full height, and to their horror, he ignited his lightsaber. Luke's eyes narrowed, but Indy could see that they were fully dilated, like he was in some kind of drugged stupor.

"No one enters here," Luke growled. _That's not his voice, _Indy swallowed hard. _This is bad._ Leia suddenly curled down; her hands over her head in intense pain. Indy glanced at the other: Chewbacca quickly placed himself between the siblings; Han was rooted to the floor in shock; Reighyn didn't even seem worried, his eyes locked on Leia. _No help. What are we going to do?_

"Turn back now before I kill you." Indy looked back at the deranged Jedi.

"Luke…this isn't you." Han said, confusedly. "Snap out of it, kid." The glazed eyes turned to Han as Luke raised his saber into a fighting position.

"No one enters here."

DXVJKE

The drums were thundering in intensity, growing and waning with every word that Luke said. Leia could not take it and slumped to the floor with pain. It was as though some one was using her head as an anvil, pounding, pounding, pounding incessantly. It was not the pain that shocked her, nor the drums that drove her to tears, but what she saw inside her closed eyes.

She saw her companions, not as she did before, but as though she could see their…their what? She was not sure exactly what she saw. Reighyn stood in the corner, a deep blue-purple, looking more like an angle in twilight than the hawk creature he was. Chewie had positioned himself directly in front of her: a glowing orange tiger-like giant dominating the room. Beyond him, Han and Indy were nearly indistinguishable. A pair of wolves took their places: one hunter green and softly whining in a dazed state; the other was midnight blue, snarling and crouched low to the ground. Leia turned to stare at her brother and gasped. The image that replaced him was twisting and swirling between silver-white and red-gold until it resembled a blazing inferno. But wrapped around him was a crimson winged serpent with its fangs deeply lodged into Luke's neck. From its mouth Leia could see red slime injected into her brother like thick poison.

_That snake…I have to get it off…_

She stood, and, with her resolve, the light of her soul flooded the cave with intense pale green.

_Fight it Luke. I'm coming._

DXVJKE

Leia moved slowly around Chewie and walked unafraid to her saber brandishing brother.

"Leia, what are you doing?" Han took a step towards his beloved, concern for her safety overpowering concern for his own. Luke moved like lighting, trying to cut into Han. The blow would have surely killed him, but it was deflected and Han was thrown to the floor.

He traced the light of the saber down to the heavy piece of crackling metal and then to the one whom wielded it. Reighyn held his mace like one would hold broadsword. The once lifeless hunk of steel was glowing and snapping with a charged electrical field, which had blocked the saber's cutting heat. Reighyn pushed up against Luke and stood, grey-white wings extended in an attempt to shield the others.

"You dare to fight me?" Luke growled in derision.

"You are not yourself," Reighyn's voice had dropped nearly an octave, chilling and determined. "And if you try to slay the innocent, then yes. I will fight you." The Sodukan took a battle stance and waited. Luke cocked his head and a cruel smile began to tug at his lips. He took one step forward before freezing.

Leia stood behind her controlled brother, fingers on either side of his neck.

The lightsaber fell to the cavern floor.

DXVJKE

When she first stood, she saw the twilight angel move. Reighyn stood perfectly still, she could see his physical silhouette left behind; but his…whatever it was…came towards her.

_Can you see me?_ Leia saw her thought float across the cavern in a wave of iridescent green. The angel nodded and smiled at her.

_How do I remove the serpent?_ The angel's eyes began to glow white and she knew even though she heard not a word. Leia began to move toward her imprisoned brother. She saw the green wolf move toward her and saw the serpent use Luke to lash out at it. Desperately she wanted to reach out and defend the wolf, but she had to keep moving. Even now the serpent's poison was overwhelming her brother and ever second was precious.

Turning to face Luke's back, she saw the twilight angel deflect the serpent's blow. At the same time the wolf as saved and the snake was distracted. It lifted its fangs from Luke's neck to lash out at the angel giving Leia the opportunity she needed.

She immediately plunged one hand into the open wound on Luke's shoulder and with the other one she grabbed the serpent around its throat. The red wings of the snake twisted to strike and her fear caused her grip on the snake's throat to loosen slightly, letting the serpent wriggled free. Its anger evident, it reared back to strike her. Leia steeled herself, waiting for the blow, but it did not come. From over her right shoulder a silver green griffin flung itself at the red serpent, slamming it to the ground. The griffin bit the snake in half and Leia felt her hands begin to tingle. She looked down to where her hand was on Luke's neck and saw that a white light was overwhelming the red poison.

Luke began to go limp, and Leia almost collapsed under his weight. The griffin turned from the bloody corpse of the snake and moved towards her. It gently nuzzled Leia and opened its mouth.

_You did very well._ The twilight angel stood above the pale griffin and bowed ever so slightly. The griffin then walked through Leia and into the wall behind her. She watched in wonder as the tip of the griffin's tail disappeared and she closed her eyes in weariness.

DXVJKE

"Leia," Han gently cupped her face in his hands, concern evident on his face. "LEIA, Leia, can you hear me?" Her eyelids fluttered and she stared up at him. "Are you okay?"

"I…I think so." She looked down at Luke, lying limply on the ground beside her. Han followed her gaze. "He's gonna be okay."

"I know," she replied softly.

"No more drums?" Han asked, worry clouding his voice a little.

"No more drums." She smiled. Indy came over to them.

"I don't suppose you know how to get out of here, huh?"

"Actually," Leia replied, glancing over to Reighyn, "I do." She slowly stood up and turned to face the wall. _The griffin had moved through this spot._ At the very bottom of the wall was a small hollow place. She reached down and was about to push into the hollow. At that moment, Luke's eyes snapped open.

"LUKE!" Indy swiftly knelt and helped the Jedi sit up slowly.

"What happened?" he whispered. "How did I get here?"

"Don't you remember?" Leia asked.

"I remember getting off the pole and talking with Indy about the wind and then everything went bla…" He leapt to his feet a great deal faster than Indy thought was wise and began to look around the cavern with earnest. "Where's the red snake?" Leia's eyes widened. _Did he see it before it bit him?_

"Snakes?" Indy rose to his feet, a shiver running down his spine.

"What snake?" Han looked confused, again.

"It is not here, that it is not." Reighyn said quietly, he looked directly at Leia. "You do not need fear it."

"But…it was showing me…" Luke closed his eyes.

"Its okay," Leia said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, we're getting out of here." She knelt again and pushed her hand deep into the small hole in the floor. There was a soft click and the wall began to move inwards. A fissure formed around the edge of the wall, creating a thin walkway to what lay behind. Curiosity flooded Indy and he carefully walked around the wall. Han, Chewie, and Luke followed. Leia was about to do the same when Reighyn touched her hand.

"Wait a moment, princess." She looked up at the Sodukan, puzzled as he reached into a pouch hanging from his belt. He withdrew a thin disc of rock and handed it to her.

"What's this for?" she asked, looking down at its oval shape.

"You are a seer," he answered simply. Leia looked back up at him puzzled. "A person who is able to sense what cannot be physically known. In every generation amongst my people there are a few who are able to do this feat. Those who can, bear one of these."

"You mean that all those…those things I saw…"

"Are the spiritual energy within every sentient creature. The Jedi call this energy the Force. Others would call it a soul. Whatever it is, you can see it. And more importantly, you can control it."

"Control it?"

"Where do you think the griffin came from?" He smiled. "Come, we had best catch up with the others, that we should." Reighyn walked through the crack, leaving Leia alone with her thoughts. _I can control the souls of others?_ She shuddered.

DXVJKE

Indy stepped through the crack that Leia had made, igniting his torch to explore the far edges of the new cavern. It was almost as large as the original cavern, though very different in shape. The cavern was an inverted dome, sloping down some thirty feet deeper than the thin platform of rock on which he stood. The roof was bare inches away from his head, making it quite uncomfortable for Chewie when he came in.

"Whoa." Luke looked carefully down into the bottom of the bowl. "Look there." He pointed at a pedestal in the middle of the cavern. Indy carefully slid down the magma smooth sides. The others followed and in a few moments both Leia and Reighyn arrived. Luke and Leia exchanged glances, trying to make sure that the other was okay.

"What is it, I am wondering?" Reighyn cocked his head at the pedestal. Indy was circling it, carefully sketching its position in the ever present notebook. He reached out and gently touched the surface of the magma pillar.

"Hmm…" He knelt and began to examine it carefully.

"What? What does 'hmmm' mean?" Han asked.

"There are absolutely no marks on this. At all. No writing, no carvings, not even a seam." Indy got up, frustration written all over his face. "This could merely be a shorn stalagmite. Or a fallen stalactite. I don't think it's what we're looking for."

"Great," Han glowered. "Another dead end." Chewie suddenly twisted away from the group. "Chewie? What is it?"

"OrrrrNNNnnnnhhh ehh aaaaaakkkkKKK."

"You smell WHAT?" The Wookie began to walk up the glass smooth slope of the bowl opposite to the side they came down. "You've got to be kidding." Han directed his torchlight towards the wall that his friend was heading too. There, outlined against the grey-black wall was a door. It was not a tunnel, nor natural looking at all.

"Some one carved that out of the rock," Indy practically bolted towards Chewie's discovery and began examining the perfectly rectangular portal. He barely paid attention to what was beyond the door. "Could you imagine the power it would take to carve this? These walls are nearly three feet of solid metamorphic rock."

Luke came up, glanced at and grinned. "Easy." He ignited his lightsaber and placed it gently against the rock face. The wall began to glow white-hot and melt in long lines of liquid magma. Luke deactivated the saber. "Instant door. It would have taken a while to carve the door, but not much energy." Indy shook his head and followed the others into the room beyond.

There, in the wall opposite, was a large medallion that took up most of the room. It was reflected in the walls, ceiling, floor, and the door wall. In the middle of the floor's medallion was a pedestal raising some three feet off the floor. Unlike the one in the antechamber, this pedestal had writing in a ring around the very top of its smooth surface. Leia walked carefully around the column, half-saying the words written on it. Indy began to examine the four unmarred medallions, trying to see if there was any difference between them.

"Well, that was easy." Indy turned his gaze from the left-hand disc to Leia.

"You got it already?" he flipped to a fresh page in his journal.

"Yeah. It was…short." She walked over to where the writing started and waited for the archeologist. Indy nodded and Leia began to read. "_Pick a circle, pick a point; pick correctly take the prize._"

"That's it?" Han cocked his head quizzically.

"Yeah," Leia again examined the pedestal for any other marks at all before answering. "Yeah, that's it."

"Great. Now what?"

"Now we try to see if there are any clues on these four circles to show us which one to pick." Indy said, staring once again on the ornately carved walls. The circles had the same basic design. Each was a large perfect circle some six feet in diameter with a one-foot circle placed in the exact center. Beginning with the edge of the large circle were rows of indented equilateral triangles placed in concentric circles so that the outer tip of one triangle touched the base of the one above it. The result was several hundreds of triangles ranging in size to make it look like a giant sunflower. The center circle alone was left unmarred, perfectly smooth. Examining the designs was going to take forever. They all knew it. But the only other option was to give up and not finish their quest. Indy was about to resign himself to the minute examination when he saw Luke wince.

"You okay?" The Jedi jerked his head up, a shadow of worry on his face.

"Yeah, fine."

"No, you're not," Leia stepped forward. "Luke, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he sighed. "It's just…I'm starting to hear the drums again." Han groaned to himself. "It's strongest right here," Luke continued, moving towards the right-hand medallion. "But it's still faint."

"Then stand over there," Han ordered. Leia shot him a killing glance causing the pirate to retort, "What? The last time he heard drums in his head I almost ended up with a lightsaber in MINE!"

"Have you ever heard anything like this before?" Indy asked.

"No. Well, yes, once. But it wasn't drums."

"Tell me."

**DXVJKE**  
I'M NOT DEAD!!! though my teachers did try to murder me. too...much...school...AACK! anyway. still stumped about the drums? don't be. for all shall be made clear when i post the next chapter. yay. oh yes, Leigh is most definately OOC, but, come on, everyone else has a cool power, why can't she? besides, this will become important in later chapters...anyways...back to writing. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE! and do make a resolution to leave more reviews? 'Later

DarkX


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I own nothing that lawyer type people would recognize. except Reighyn. Reighyn is MINE!!! MINE, DO YOU HEAR??? ALL MINE!!! BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAAAA!!!!!

**Dm1**: Oh, I am no where near finished exploiting Indy's snake fear…BWHAHAHAHAAA!!! Leia is sensing the spiritual energy of people represented by animals. Reighyn can do almost the same thing (thus the explanation). The drums get explained below. Thanks for reviewing.  
**Han-Skywalker**: I DID I DID! See! Oh, and thanks for PM'ing me. that actually got me to sit down and bang this out in one setting. I think you'll win the "most faithful reviewer" award. And as for earth…well…I shan't say anything…yet.  
**Jedi X-Man**: THANK YOU!!!! EEEK WARM SQUISHIES!!! Updates for Idiots would be appreciated…  
**Piper xox Leo**: Here's your answer. Though it isn't very logical, I couldn't think of any other way to do this…thanks for your review!  
**R e c R a p t o r**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Thanks for the comment and yes it is a smashing combination and I hope I'm doing it justice. Yes, Indy has his bullwhip, I just haven't given him occasion to use it, but it shall come, I promise. As for the snakes, well, I haven't actually put them in a place where there ARE any snakes. YET (hint, hint). Thanks for the favorite!  
**RavenRulzRF**: GASP evil classmates. Thanks for reviewing!  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: YES! RUN!! Thanks for reviewing!

YES! Back to life after three insane weeks of school and no personal time whatsoever. But I got this done. (YAY) And now I shall stop typing and let you get on with the story.

Chapter 24  
I MEAN IT!

"Leigh, do you remember the funeral? After the Emperor died?"

"Of course, I mean, how could I forget?" The image of Darth Vader's body spread out on a funeral pyre was fresh in both siblings' minds. But while Leia only saw the machine, Luke saw the man. The spectral image of his father that he saw as the galaxy rejoiced over the fall of the Empire was all that was left, pushing from memory the scarred and tortured physical face. Anakin's ghost had smiled, flooding Luke's internal sorrow with a sense of perfect peace.

"I heard this…music." He tried to explain the sensation and failed miserably. "It's hard to explain."

"You don't have to," Han said, "We were there, with about three thousand Ewoks and—"

"No, no, not _that_ song. It was…tangible music. Deep and calm and intense. The drums remind me of it, only not so calm. It's like…like I could feel completion, like something was restored and the universe was playing a victory song."

"So the drums are a victory song?" Indy persisted

"No. They're…different. It's hard to explain what the drums are like."

"It's like listening to a heartbeat," Leia said quietly.

"Yes. But louder and it fluctuates wildly."

"And what does that have to do with your dad dying?" Han asked.

"Could it be you hear the power of the Jedi, I am wondering?" Luke looked at Reighyn questioningly.

"Hear the Force?" he echoed.

"But that doesn't make sense," Leia dissented. "Luke's used the Force for years and you're saying that he's only heard it twice?"

"It is logical, that it is," Reighyn countered. "If the Jedi can feel when this Force is disturbed, why can you not hear it?"

"But why then and why now?" Leia looked from the Sodukan to her brother and back again.

"Our father was a Jedi who slipped into the Dark Side," Luke replied, beginning to see what Reighyn was driving at. "When he died, he was restored, which would explain the music I heard."

"And the drums are some kind of…what?" Han cut in.

"Disruption?" Indy suggested.

"Why would there be a disruption of the force here?" Leia stated. "I mean, the Jedi made this place to hide the next clue, and then they said that a Jedi would be able to find it. Why then would the Dark Side be present here?" Silence enveloped the room as each descended into his or her own thoughts.

_This is getting us no where,_ Indy thought. _Need to get back to the problem at hand._ He went over to the right hand medallion and began to examine it. He was about to systematically begin poking triangles when he froze. "Luke, you said you heard the drums when you stood over here, right?"

"Yeah."

"What about over there?" Indy pointed to the medallion on the other side. Luke hesitantly moved over until he was almost touching the medallion.

"I hear it here too."

"And the center?"

"Yeah."

"Are any of them louder than the others?" Luke paused for a second, thinking.

"No. There all about equal in volume."

"What do you mean by this, I am wondering?" Reighyn asked, intrigued.

"What if…" Indy paused, trying to articulate the theory running rampant in his brain. "What if the drums aren't a sign of disturbance but just a sign?"

"Meaning?"

"Leia was right when she said that a Jedi was supposed to be able to find a way to the next clue. If Maceina wanted to make it difficult to find the location of the next clue, she would hide it in a place like this: hard to find the path. But she would have designed _some_ way for future generations of Jedi to get to it. The key is that the Jedi need to find it. So she must have formed some system of using the Force itself as a guide, so only the Jedi could follow."

"That doesn't explain Luke going psycho." Han dissented.

"Yes it does. Assuming the drum sound is the Force, it would be natural for Luke to follow it. But the same would be true if the Sith came here. When we got to the first door, the drumming itself became a defense to keep us from going further. The Jedi would be able to resist the destructive nature of whatever it was that made Luke nuts; the Sith wouldn't resist it all."

"But I didn't resist it." Luke protested.

"Leia did. And then she helped you to do the same. And it wasn't until you were sane again that we found the next door."

"Okay that makes sense, but how does it help us now?"

"Now, Luke has an aversion to the drums, right? If he hears the drums behind one of these medallions, we won't let him go through. What if that's the way to the next door?"

"You mean, use a process of eliminating the medallions by seeing where the drums are coming from?" Leia asked, catching on.

"Right." Indy gestured to the three upright ones. "If the drums are behind each of those then that leaves only one medallion to go searching for the 'point'." They all looked up.

"Okay, that's really confusing." Han sighed.

"Maceina was always the master of complicated puzzles, that she was," Reighyn commented, smiling. Indy walked over to the pedestal and climbed up on top of it. Balancing on the circular surface, he began pushing on each of the triangles radiating from the center circle. It took three consecutive circles of firmly placed triangles before one gave a little beneath his hand. He tried to push harder, but the angle at which he was leaning gave him no leverage to press the point in deeper.

"Hey, Chewie. Can you push this one in as hard as you can? I can't reach it." The Wookie's massive paw replaced Indy's fingers as Chewbacca did as requested. There was a loud audible click and center of the medallion, including the three rows of triangles, sprung upward. Indy stood on his tiptoes, peeking over the foot thick ceiling and into the darkness above. Leia passed up a torch, which, when lit, illuminated a new dome.

"Looks pretty stable." He placed the torch on the floor of the new room and used his free arms to leverage himself up. The domed room was a perfect half sphere, some forty feet in diameter, smooth as glass. He looked down the three foot broad hole. "Right, who's next?"

Luke stood up on the pedestal, reaching up to grab Indy's wrists, and jumping slightly to get up. Between the two of them, they assisted Han and Leia up. Reighyn had a little trouble getting through the first time, due to his wings, but after folding them tightly against his back, he fit through the hole. Chewie reached up through the hole, and pushed against the pedestal to get through unassisted. Indy was a little relieved that the Wookie didn't need a lift.

"Where did the center go?" Leia asked looking around.

"Up there," Indy motioned with his torch. They could see the sunflower design up against the ceiling. "As far as I can figure, the point Chewie pushed was a catch that released a system of pulleys to lift the center up that high. It must be underneath or within the rock, 'cause I don't see anything up here." The other's torchbeams were sweeping the dome while he said this.

"Okay, now what?" Han asked. "I don't see—"

"There!" Leia exclaimed. Her beam was fixated on the floor. They walked over to it to find a softly glinting rectangle that was quite different from the flat black floor. Indy smoothed away a thin layer of dust to reveal a piece of white granite of the same dimensions as the one they found at Katra's grave. The side that faced upwards was covered with the same swirls and pockmarks as the first one. It lay flush with the floor, barely a crack to show where the piece ended and the floor began. Indy drew his knife blade and delicately fit it in the edge of one of the sides. He slowly and gently levered one edge of the white granite out of the floor, careful not to mar the edges. Han drew a knife out from behind his blaster and slid it between the crack Indy made so that the bottom side of the slab was resting on his blade. Indy quickly repositioned his knife to match Han's and together they gently lifted the granite out. Once it was all the way out of it's resting place, another loud click was heard.

"What was that?" Leia asked, swinging her torch around to see what was different.

"Sounded like another door opening." Indy said, carefully wrapping the granite in oilcloth and slipping it into his bag. The others began to also examine the room.

"Over here." Han was crouching near the edge of the room, opposite where they found the white granite. The floor had a three-foot hole in it, leading to a cavern below. "Looks about a eight foot drop, straight down." He rolled onto his stomach, pushing his feet into the hole, and slowly sliding down until his feet touched the floor below. Han looked back up. "It's okay. Come on down." They followed suit, landing in a long hallway.

"I guess we go straight," Indy said. Torchlight flashed against the walls and floor and ceiling as they walked. And walked. And walked. And walked some more. The tunnel was straight, level, perfectly symmetrical in all ways, never changing, never sloping, and never ending. Indy guessed that they had been walking for at least three hours without any change. The day's actions were beginning to show and he was weary. _If we don't get out of here in another hour, I'm going to call for a rest._ The cavern continued as long as their lights could reach. _This is nuts. Is it ever going to end?_

Another hour passed with everyone plodding along. Their lights weren't searching the walls anymore, just fixed on the floor. Indy ticked off the fourth hour of walking and was about to call for a break when Luke stopped abruptly in front of him.

"You okay?"

"Turn off your lights," Luke said, clicking off his beam. The others seemed to tired to argue and followed suit. Indy stood, expecting to see total darkness, but as his eyes adjusted he noticed that the cavern wasn't as dark as before.

"Is that…?"

"The end. Yeah." Luke's torch came on and with renewed energy they began to walk. It took them a while to make it, but there, clear as day was the end of the tunnel. They stood at the base of the mountain, facing the orange and gold sky. Han took out his communicator to contact the Falcon, ready to climb into his bed and sleep for the next three years. And then he groaned.

"Sith!" Indy looked at the pirate sharply

"What?"

"I just realized where we left the Falcon." The mind-numbing idea hit the others as well and they joined Han's downcast demeanor, except for Reighyn.

"I do not see the problem, that I do not."

"We left the Falcon three-fourths the way up the mountain." Indy sighed.

"With C3PO and R2 in it." Luke added.

"Neither of whom know how to fly the Falcon." Han said.

"Which means that we have to climb back up to get to the Falcon." Leia sat down. "And I am way too tired to do anything tonight."

"Oh." Reighyn said, also sitting. "Then perhaps we should rest here and climb tomorrow, yes?"

"Yeah." The others also sat, pulling out ration packs for their evening meal. Indy carefully unwrapped the white rock.

"In the meantime, how about some translating?"

"Okay," Leia said, taking the rock from him. "But no puzzle solving tonight, too tired." The others smiled and waited. Leia looked at the white slab's back where some faint lines of the ancient writing were seen. It only took her a few minutes to translate it.

"This is really short."

"What does it say?" Luke asked, peeking over her shoulder.

_"Go into the place of peace.  
_"_Stand within the Masters' wheel.  
_"_Touch the seventh spoke of light.  
_"_My second piece is there revealed."_

"What does that mean?" Han asked curiously. Leia shot him a look of death.

"No. Puzzle. Solving. Tonight."

DXVJKE

Yes, Leia is tired. and hasn't had any chocolate. and has had to calculate way too many antiderivatives in the last week. and is totally stressed out about projects coming up and junk like that. and works too hard for barely-above-minium-wage...and...no wait. that's me. (nervous laughter) sorry about the slowness/shortness of updates and going so long without any action. life is nuts. no way around it. BUT! they have the next piece of the puzzle. which means we are one section closer to solving this. CHEERS!!! So, anyone NOT to tired to do a bit of puzzle solving? if so, drop a line in the review box. or just drop a line in the review box. reviews help me think better and motivate me to run from school and write about our favorite archeologist thrown in with a bunch of StarWars misfits. drop a line and i'll hopefully have a new chapter up in six weeks or whenever HanSkywalker starts bugging me (grins at faithful/annoying reviewer who keeps me going). anywho. antiderivatives call me away. Later,  
DarkX


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I OWN STARWARS!!! And I defy Lucas to do anything about—what? Oh hold on a sec, my lawyer needs my attention…uh-huh…are you sure?…aw man…fine…Sorry to everyone out there. I should have said "I DON'T OWN STARWARS!!!" my deepest apologies. Someone with very terrible typing skills wrote this…again, allow me to clarify: I don't own StarWars or anything related therein or Indiana Jones for that matter...

Notes to the most faithful reviewers a writer could have:

**Han-Skywalker**: YES SUGAR!!! BWHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! (sorry, have had too much of it meself). THIS is me being a good writer and posting before my six-week deadline. Cheers why are you embarrassed? Thanks for the review!  
**hollie-short**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Thanks for the review and the encouragement and I hope you stick around for the end.  
**Jedi X-Man**: THANK YOU!!!! And I cannot wait for the final chapter of Idiots and then some major ANM. Whoohooo!  
**Mercedes Whitefox**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! And major double chocolate cookies for you for attempting to solve the puzzle. Unfortunately you're wrong in all counts but one but that's okay because you aren't part of my twisted confused illogical mind where nothing makes logical sense… in a world where logic rules, your answer would be spot on but unfortunately, I AM OMNIPOTENT HERE!! BWHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!! Still, cookies for you! Thanks for reviewing and do stick around.  
**Piper xox Leo**: Here's your translation. Though it IS more fun if you try it on your own. Really.  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: Thanks for the review. And for reminding me about Carron. He's been sitting in his little box being devious and now he has come up with a very very very evil plan.

Chapter 25  
We're going _WHERE?!?_

"You sure you don't want to come with us, Reighyn?" Luke was standing at the landing platform looking at the tall Sodukan. It was hard to believe that they had only been here for a total of five days. The time spent in the cave and then climbing back up the mountain seemed to have taken an eternity. The bottom half of the mountain hadn't taken all that long to scale, since they weren't fighting the intensity of the wind. But getting from there to the Falcon had taken a day and a half of inching up the near vertical mountain face. They had gotten to the ship more by Han's resolve to not sleep on "this Force-forsaken piece of rock" one more night. Exhaustion was still evident on everyone's faces as they tumbled into the Falcon's bay and practically fallen asleep on the hard floors.

Morning had come and with it Reighyn's desire to return to his clan. Han revved up his ship, briefly depositing them on the platform (the only place he was willing to let the Falcon rest more than an hour). Luke and Leia left to see the Sodukan off and to try and convince him to stay.

"Quite certain, Master Jedi, that I am." The gold eyes widened with pleasure. "This has been quite enough adventure for my life, that I am thinking. It brought great fulfillment to go with you."

"Thanks for everything," Leia said, leaning forward to briefly hug him. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"You are very much welcome, be certain." He turned to Luke. "I am not a Jedi, this you are aware of, but I would give you advice, if you are willing to take it." Reighyn paused. "Luke, you must listen. Not only to your instincts, but to the Force itself. Much advice and guidance is therein, that there is."

"I'll remember that," Luke nodded.

"Leia, keep your eyes open, especially around Luke. I am thinking that you and he are two parts of a whole, yes? Sound and Sight. Without one there is deafness, without the other there is blindness. Together though, there is strength, that there is." He stepped back and bowed to the two of them. "Always you will be welcome amongst us, that you are."

"We'll come back to tell you how it ended," Leia assured him.

"I will look forward to that, I will." He turned to go, then paused. "Oh, one thing I almost forgot. Tell Indiana, I trust his purpose." The twins exchanged glances and then watched the Sodukan spread his huge grey wings and soar off into the orange gold sky.

"I'm going to miss him," Luke sighed. "Come on Leigh, we don't wanna keep Han waiting."

DXVJKE

Han was happy. His ship was safe. His friends were safe. He hadn't fought with Leia. And, the hyperdrive was in relatively good condition. He and Chewie were in the cockpit prepping for takeoff. Once the twins were onboard, he had every intention of leaving this sulfur-infested world and back into space. The computer alerted him that the cargo bay was sealed, meaning Luke and Leia were back, which was quickly asserted by Luke plopping into one of the seats behind him.

"Reighyn get off okay?" Han asked, swiveling around in his chair.

"Yeah, fine. Couldn't get him to come with us, though."

"Pity. He looked like the kind of guy we could use in a fire fight." Han turned back to the controls and began the launch sequence. The Falcon trembled with the onset of her engines and with a blast of reddish dirt, leapt into the lower atmosphere. No one spoke until the orange sky pulled back to reveal the inky black velvet of space. _Never get tired of seeing that,_ Han thought with a smile. Leia poked her pretty face in the door. _Or that._

"You three gonna come slog through this with the rest of us?" Han made a face of displeasure, like someone sucking on a lemon.

"Do I have to?" He moaned. "I'm not good at that intellectual stuff."

"You did pretty well with that number puzzle." Han smirked and slowly stood from his seat.

"Well, seeming how you put it that way…" Leia rolled her head, laughing at his unabashed egotism.

DXVJKE

"We off?" Indy said, looking up from his journal and the latest piece they collected from Soduka.

"Yeah," Han replied, sliding into a seat at the table. "Orbiting the planet until you figure out where we're going."

"Me?" The others took various seats in the living area. 3PO and R2 stood towards the corner, waiting to be called upon for whatever reason necessary.

"Well, yeah. I mean, you are kind of the best at this."

"And saying that is not going to get you out of puzzle solving, Han," Leia interjected. The pirate assumed a mock look of wounded pride. He was about to reply when Luke interrupted.

"Can we hear it again?" Indy nodded and repeated the four line clue.

_"Go into the place of peace.  
_"_Stand within the Masters' wheel.  
_"_Touch the seventh spoke of light.  
_"_My second piece is there revealed."_

"It's so…short." Han sighed at last.

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "How are we supposed to find a destination with so little information?"

"Must be obvious then," Leia said. A silence descended as each mulled over the clues. Time passed and still nothing came up.

"Leia," Indy said at last. "Could you go over the original again? Maybe we're missing something."

"Okay. What should I look for?" She reached for and pulled over the new white slab.

"Anything unusual. Proper nouns. Comma placement."

"Capitalization?" She asked, touching the white block. "The word 'masters'' is capitalized and plural possessive."

"So the 'masters' were an important group?"

"The leaders of the Jedi were addressed as Master," Luke thought aloud. Indy furiously flipped back through his notes.

"When I first came on board, in that long winded very confusing history you gave me, you said that the Jedi were the protectors of peace or something like that."

"So?" Han quipped.

"What if 'the place of peace' refers to the Jedi temple?"

"That would fit," Luke agreed.

"Oh no. No," Han immediately objected. "We are NOT going back to Corescant!" Luke and Leia were about to protest the pirate's protest when the Falcon slammed sideways.

"What the Sith…" Han was halfway to the cockpit before the rest were even out of their seats.

"Chewie! Get me a damage report, NOW!" The Wookie was barely on the bridge and howled in protest. "No I don't—" The Falcon rocked again. Bridge lights flickered as Luke and Leia slid into the two seats at the back. Indy, who had no idea what to do on a ship when it was attacked, was busying himself with wrapping up the granite block and storing his journal somewhere safe. R2 had plugged himself into the Falcon's computer in case some quick repairs were needed. And seeming how this was the Millennium Falcon in question, quick repairs _would _be needed.

"How the hell did Tie fighters get here?" Han was busily putting all his piloting skills into keeping the Falcon from another hit.

"Does it look like I know?" Leia snapped, clinging to her seat as her boyfriend pulled another hairpin turn to narrowly miss being shot.

"Han, we've got to get out of here," Luke said over the klaxon's warnings of impending doom. "Corescant is the only useful location we have right now." Han muttered a string of very dark curses on whatever hand of fate had done this to him and nodded.

"Leigh, can you begin the calculations for warp?"

"On it." The princess began feeding information to the navi-computer, waiting anxiously for a response. "Okay, coordinates set."

"Right." Han hit the control to activate the hyperdrive only to be met with the ominous whirring noise. "No. No, come on baby, don't do this to me." Still no hyperdrive. "Chewie…" The Wookie was already gone. Leia slid into the co-pilot's seat to take over. "Right, Luke let's buy some cover time."

"And leave me to pilot this thing by myself?" Leia demanded, grabbing Han's hand to keep him from standing.

"We need two sets of guns, Leigh."

"What about Indy?" Luke piped up.

"What about me?" Indy chose just that time to step into the cockpit. Han jerked his thumb at Luke.

"Give him a crash course and pray to Force above he's a fast learner."

"What?" Luke stood and grabbed the archeologist by the arm.

"Come on, we don't have much time."

DXVJKE

The controls of the Falcon's blasters were uncomfortably strange when Indy first looked at them, but the more Luke explained (which was about five sentences), the more he realized that it was just a moveable Gattling gun.

"If the computer screen is too complicated for you, then aim right for the enemy ships." Luke clapped him on the shoulder. "Okay?"

"Are you absolutely sure that no one else can do this?" Indy pleaded, sliding into the control chair and buckling in.

"You'll do fine." Luke ducked out of the room to climb up to his own terminal. Indy put on the headset to catch the end of Han yelling at Chewie to hurry it up. Blocking all that out and forcing himself to think in terms of a airplane dogfight, Indy gripped the gun's controls and looked out the bubble-dome into the black of space.

DXVJKE

The Millennium Falcon looked as though a drunk were piloting her. She twisted and wrenched through the space surrounding Soduka trying desperately to out maneuver the six Tie-Fighters dogging her. And though this twisting was in fact helping keep the Falcon from being blown to bits, it was inhibiting both Luke and Indy's attempts at defense as well as Chewie's actions to restore the hyperdrive.

Indy completely ignored the Falcon's thrashing in his determination to take out the small swift vicious vessels flitting around him. His range of visibility was small, his knowledge of the gun turret was limited, his doubts as to this whole adventure were growing, and his stomach was doing somersaults. The Tie's continued to swoop in and out and over and under his guns and he continued to miss them. But with each pass, he got a little closer.

Luke and Han were yelling at each other over the communication line as the former swore he was missing targets due to the piloting of the latter. The Falcon shuddered with another successful barrage of enemy fire, cutting their argument down. Indy kept ignoring everything, throwing his every ounce of will into each shot fired. One Tie kept flitting around Indy's field of vision, daring him to do something.

It looped around the outer edge of his view, tightening its spirals until it was in the exact middle of the bubble. Then it would shoot across in any arbitrary direction to the outer edge to begin looping around the other way. Indy had been trying to shoot the Tie based on its grid position, which wasn't working. In frustration, Indy looked up and noticed that the Tie was moving a pattern. Guessing its position, he shot not at the Tie itself but where he thought it was going to be. He struck gold. The blast of the Tie exploding was nothing in comparison to the elation he felt while watching the small bits of metal and expanding oxygen spread through space.

"_Nice shot, Indy,"_ Luke called over the communicator. The Jedi had used this time to utterly destroy four of the Tie-Fighters. He stretched out in the Force, pinpointed the sixth and blew it to pieces. Indy suddenly noticed the lack of blips on his screen.

"How the hell did you do that?" The archeologist unclenched his white knuckles from the gun's handles.

"_Lots of practice,"_ Luke jumped out of the seat and twisted around to grin at Indy. "Being a Jedi helps too." The Falcon jerked and Indy had the sickening feeling that they were being attacked again.

"What was…?"

"Relax, that's the hyperdrive kicking in. Chewie must have fixed it." Indy climbed up the ladder to the main level. He watched as the Wookie sauntered triumphantly out of the engine room before turning to Luke.

"To Corescant we go."

DXVJKE

The room was black. Deathly black and just as quite. No light, no sound, no movement. There was nothing to keep the mind centered, and thus, it was easy to lose one's mind in this room.

_Iso_

The word would send chills down the spine of any Arc Trooper. It was psychological torture of the most intense kind. They had originally been subjected to it to make them fear nothing else. The theory was that if all the fear natural to a humanoid was compressed into one thing, the humanoid would fear nothing else, for nothing would be worse than that which it was programmed to fear. Pain had been ruled out, as was death. For the point in creating the ultimate soldiers was to make them fearless of pain or death. Almost all psychological tortures were also rejected, because a torturer would be necessary and the Designers wanted the Arcs to be trusting of each other. So they went to the opposite.

_Isolation._

The separation of not only person from others of his kind, but person from everything. Very, very few minds could take long submersion in an environment that denies stimulus to any sense. The most battle hardened Arc Trooper would crack if left in Iso for more than a few hours. The bravest soldiers became whimpering children. No normal person could live in this environment. They all feared Iso.

Carron thrived in it.

It gave him time to be centered in the deadly power of the Dark Side, to allow his hatred time to intensify. It was here that he could think. And his thoughts were now turned to the problem at hand. Tracking the Jedi and the archeologist would be easy enough, but if he got too close to them, they could elude him. Or worse. They would find _how_ he was able to follow them and avoid him altogether. It was quite the conundrum. And thus his need for the Iso unit.

Within the inky depths of the coffin like container, the thin tendrils of a plan began to form in the Sith Lord's mind. And in the darkness, he smiled.

The door opened and he emerged into the life and activity of his ship. The ship commander stood outside, as he had been for the last six hours, waiting to hear of what to do next. The commander took one look at Carron's face and wanted desperately to vomit.

"Commander," the Sith almost purred.

"Sir?"

"Get me the Jägenkov."

DXVJKE

INSERT OMINOUS BACKGROUND MUSIC HERE. And just so no one get's confused in later chapters, Jägenkov is pronounced YAH-gehn-koff...kay? kay. Yes, Carron's back and badder than ever. Anybody want to take a guess at what the Jägenkov are? hmm? you can by clicking that little button down in the left hand corner that says "REVIEWS" and i would really appreciate it if you do REVIEW because REVIEWING makes me churn out chapters faster than not REVIEWING does. do i need to be a little more blatant that i want MORE REVIEWS!!!???!!! i mean, look on that last chapter alone i got 54 page views but only six REVIEWS. i know you people are out there and not REVIEWING so REVIEW already? Kay? kay. (Note that this is not in anyway directed to the wonderful people who do faithfully REVIEW my chapters. Guys, this is no slight against you at all. you people rock and i would happily ascribe more people to the rockage list if they would only REVIEW!)

now that that rant is over...lets move on. so please **REVIEW** and have a good day...Later,  
DarkX


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer:  
Things I do not own: StarWars, Indiana Jones.  
Things I do own: Jägenkov, Carron, 16A12, cookies.  
Things that the lawyers will never get: cookies.  
And that's enough of my lists.

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:

**AllAboutSoul**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Glad that you liked my story enough to review. And thanks for the glowiness. I try to keep things interesting, I really do. really. And as for Han and Leia. I like HanXLeia from ESB waaaaaay more than their later shipping. It's a little more testy, dangerous, etc. besides, I like writing arguments. Hope you like them in this chappie.  
**DarthKrewl**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Indy? A JEDI? pardon me a moment but HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA HHAHAHHAHAHHAAAAHAHHAHAHHAAA!!! That's almost as good as Han being force-sensitive. Sorry, but that's really funny. Thanks for the laugh. And thanks for the glowing review. It's nice to see my work appreciated. Sadly I cannot take credit for the Indy/SW crossover, that's Freetrader's idea (see chapter 1 disclaimer), but I did run a bit wild with it. And I couldn't not keep Chewie out (have YOU ever tried to keep a 7foot wookie from doing something that he doesn't want to? Believe me, ya don't wanna try) or C3PO (can we say, annoyed the heck out me much) or R2 (cause he's just to freaking cute). They're just too fun. Yeah, my dialoguing skills suck major. It's just the way I write. …that and I hate writing "he said, she said" all the time. so blame it on my laziness. I apologize. I'll get better, I promise. Thanks for the review. And the laugh. Indy. Jedi. Too funny.  
**Han-Skywalker**: Dude. You missed you're poking deadline. Good thing for you that I had a case of major writer's push (and tea, tea helps) to whip this out in one day. Thanks for the review, and don't stop nagging me. I need it. really.  
**Jedi X-Man**: THANKYOU! You rock. And I cannot WAIT for ANM. If it is anywhere near as good as ROTI, it shall most definitely rock. Thanks for the review.  
**Lutten**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Thanks so much for reviewing. You are quite correct about the first part. The second part is Slovic. And that's all I'll say 'bout that. thanks for reviewing.  
**Mercedes Whitefox**: Oh dahlin, you are so close. So very close. The language is almost there, and no, no Nazis. Sorry. But thanks for trying to answer the question. And thanks for reviewing.  
**Piper xox Leo**: Thanks a million!  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: Unfortunately, no Hitler is not behind the attack. Carron is, in a very roundabout way. You're halfway right in that he doesn't really KNOW about it, at least not yet. Read on. Read on.  
**Twisterblake**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Thanks for each and every individual review (I love people like you who review every chapter rather than rushing to the end and then reviewing). Hope you get caught up. Thanks for reviewing.

Chapter 26  
A Li'l Bit'a Diggin'

"The—The Jägenkov, my lord?" Commander Tao's face blanched at the very word.

"Yes, of course" Carron replied silkily. "Why, Commander, is there a problem? You look a bit ill."

"I—I—well, my lord, are they really _necessary_? I mean, we only lost the archeologist five days ago and—"

"This is NOT about Jones!" Carron's emotional control slipped for one brief moment. He instantly regained composure, though not before Tao saw the deathly anger pent up inside the Sith lord. "Well, not entirely. The Jedi is far more formidable than I previously expected…" Carron trailed off, thinking back to his brief encounter with Luke. Tao was oblivious and proceeded to continue his argument

"His presence was unexpected. The ARC-Troopers know of him now, and we also have the tracking device. Our Tie-Fighters have already intercepted them."

"And do you have word of victory?" Carron's snake eyes narrowed, watching for any signs of weakness in the troop commander.

"We…we have not heard from them yet."

"Then your soldiers have failed me twice." Carron began to walk away and Tao jumped forward to keep up with the Sith.

"They were already in transit, my lord, but if we could trap them on the ground—"

"_If_, Commander?"

"The ARC's work best on the ground, my lord. We know that they have to go to a planet to fulfill the quest, if we move in then, we can trap them for certain." Carron looked over at Tao as if studying the younger man.

"Very well, but this is your last chance. Fail me again and I send the Jägenkov in." The Sith swept off to the command deck leaving Tao alone.

DXVJKE

Corescant was still stunning, even after its fall from glory. From space, the billions of pinpoints of light still sparkled as if the planet was not in ruins. The Falcon circled the metallic planet in quiet grace, a little scratched up from her encounter with the ARC-Troopers, but none worse for the wear. She had come out of hyperspace and into the near dead regions of Corescant's upper atmosphere only to wait as an internal battle had struck up of a much higher heat than the one she had just engaged in.

"I'm not going and that's final." Han had his arms crossed, barring the door between the living room and the cockpit.

"The next clue is Corescant and you know it," Leia shot back.

"I know it. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm not going." Luke, Indy, Chewie, and the droids were hanging towards the back of the room, watching the princess and the pirate duke it out.

"Then how do you propose that we get there?"

"You'll figure something out." Luke winced at the bullishness in Han's voice.

"The Senate is out of session, there are no other ships, and the Falcon is our only means of getting planet side." Indy looked over at the Jedi, trying to communicate that intervention was needed before blasters were drawn.

"I'm NOT taking her down there. There're pirates and—"

"YOU'RE a pirate, you—"

"—Tear her to ribbons if—"

"—Nerf-herder, and yet you—"

"—On her and there is no way on—"

"—How can you be such a—"

"—That I'm leaving the Falcon when—"

SHHWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Indy removed his fingers from his mouth, as Luke stepped towards the fighting couple.

"That's ENOUGH!" Leia blinked and turned to face her stern looking younger brother. "Han, we're going to Corescant and YOU'RE going to take us there."

"But—"

"NO 'buts'. Indy and I are going to go into the Temple to find whatever it is we're looking for. You and Leia and Chewie and the droids are going to stay here to guard the Falcon. Got it?"

"'Got it'? Who the Sith died and made you emperor?"

"I did," Indy said, his voice laced with the purest anger they had heard since meeting him "Dammit, Han, quit acting like a coward, we've got work to do." The pirate cocked his head.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"Depends on whether you're fool enough to try," Indy replied icily. Luke quickly stepped between the two of them, trying to calm his older friend down.

"We don't have time for this, Han. If those fighters got a lock on where we're headed, then we'll have bigger fears than pirates. If Carron find's us…" Luke trailed off as the memory of their encounter came flooding back to him.

"That guy's long gone," Han retorted.

"Yeah, but he's only gonna stay that way if we keep one step ahead of him," Indy replied. "Which means Corescant." Han looked at the three of them and knew that he was out worded and out gunned. He turned wordlessly and moved towards the cockpit. Indy was about to follow when Luke stopped him.

"Did you really have to call him a coward?"

"It got him to stop thinking about pirates didn't it? Besides, the easiest way to get me to do something is to call me a coward."

"But you're not Han."

"There are some things in humans that are universal," Indy grinned, "And pride is definitely one of them."

DXVJKE

_Nice to see it's still there, _Indy thought as the crawled through the "door" that Luke had made…how long ago? _Months? Nah, can't be…weeks…I wonder…_ "Hey Luke?" The Jedi paused on the inside of the corridor to look back at Indy. "Do you know how long it was since we were last here?" Luke cocked his head in thought.

"I've no idea…couple weeks I guess. Why?"

"Just wondering." The two of them plodded towards the elevator. Indy noticed that there was no dust on the floor now. _Wind must have stirred it up. _The elevator looked reasonably undamaged and still worked. _The pirates must have never turned off the power grid._ Indy silently blessed R2 and reached to touch the elevator's button.

"Do you think that those pirates are still in here?" Indy asked as they waited.

"I'd rather not find out." The doors opened and they gingerly stepped into the chamber. "Where to?" Luke asked as the elevator's doors began to close.

"Uh…Hold on." Indy fumbled around for his book and the two of them looked over the simple clue.

_Go into the place of peace.  
__Stand within the Masters' wheel.  
__Touch the seventh spoke of light.  
__My second piece is there revealed._

"'The Master's wheel', perhaps?" He said at last

"Might as well." Luke addressed the automated computer. "Computer, take us to the Master's wheel." The computer terminal mounted on the interior wall blinked to life, bringing up an error screen.

"_The destination you have requested is unknown. Please restate your destination_." The two men exchanged glances and Indy spoke up.

"Computer, please bring up a building wide directory on the terminal." The screen blinked and a long list of numbers and names popped up.

"What are we looking for?"

"I don't know. Master, wheel, anything that looks like it should fit."

"The armory?"

"Would the Counsel go down there regularly?"

"I don't think so."

"Me neither…What about the hanger?"

"Why there?"

"There are wheels there, right?"

"Huh?"

"A hanger houses vehicles, right? So maybe that's the wheel that they're talking about."

"The Republic hasn't used wheeled transports for the last thousand years."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought you knew that."

"Never been off Earth, remember?"

"Oh. Sorry." Seconds ticked by as they continued to stare at the unyeilding screen. "What about this?" Luke asked at last, tapping at a room labeled "Jedi Counsel Room" and looked over Indy.

"What is it?"

"Well, the Jedi High Counsel was were the Jedi Masters sat. If that's the room they worked out of…"

"Shoot, why not."

"Computer, take us to the Jedi Counsel Room." The elevator began it's rapid descent immediately and in a few seconds opened the doors to a large spacious room. The doors hissed, releasing the pressurized air within the room. The smell of must and age hit them like a wall. _It's like a crypt being opened. No one's been in here for a long time. _

The room had curved windows that surrounded the entire room and evenly spaced chairs around the perimeter. Each chair was of the same material and roughly the same size, with one difference. Opposite the entryway in which they stood, was a small chair, just big enough to fit a child. Indy took this in and immediately began examining the layout of the room from different viewpoints. Luke however, moved over to the small chair and gently touched it through thick layers of dust. He stood there, frozen in thought, just staring at it.

"Luke, you alright?" The Jedi jerked out of his reverie and turned to face Indy.

"What?"

"I asked if you're alright. You look kinda glazed there."

"Uh, yeah, sorry. Just. Nothing. You find anything?"

"No. Except for the obvious. This room is circularly shaped, so this _could_ be the Masters' wheel, but so could another room in this tower."

"What else is in the clue?"

"_Touch the seventh spoke of light_ I think."

"Which means…what exactly?"

"It could be a place that the sun hits during the day. Or a light switch. Or a light panel."

"Or it could have nothing to do with light whatsoever."

"Yeah, or that. But there's nothing in it the rest of the clue that contradicts the light theory."

"Okay, so, light source. What did you mean about the sun thing?"

"Like on Soduka, we had to wait for a certain time of day for the sun to strike the mountainside. If the clue is hidden in a specific spot in this room, we would have to wait for a time when the sun hits that spot."

"But the clue doesn't give any time like on Soduka."

"Right. So I think we could safely rule out the sun as the light source."

"What about an artificial light?"

"Maybe. But I don't really think so. If Corban or one of the others wrote this during their time, then where ever they hid the next clue had to be in a place that wouldn't get touched for a long time. And I don't know for sure, but I'll bet that even you guys need to redo electric wires every century or so. It it's near a light source, there's the possibility of someone disturbing it."

"So, now what?"

"I have no idea." The archeologist sat on the arm of one of the bigger chairs and began to stare off into space.

DXVJKE

"Troop Commander, what is your status?"

"_The Temple seems undisturbed at the moment, sir."_

"Any sight of the Millennium Falcon?"

"_Nega—Wait, yes sir, our scouts have spotted it on the roof. Infrared scanners_ _register four life signs. Permission to engage?"_

"Negative. Repeat, negative. Not until all six are present. Scan the building for life signs."

"_Registering two life signs in the tallest spire, some five score in the lower levels._ _Requesting orders, sir."_

"Place your troops on all sides of the Falcon. Do not, repeat, do not engage until the missing two are on the roof. Take them all alive and report back to me when you do. Maintain radio silence until then."

"_Roger. Out."_

DXVJKE

"What if it isn't here?" Luke was sitting in one of the chairs opposite of Indy. The archeologist looked up at the question and squinted across the dusty room.

"I don't know, Luke. I've been going over every word of the riddle but…I don't know. I feel like I can't think anymore."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. When I was a kid in school, we would have these massive tests at the end of each season. Long lists of questions about practically everything and I could never, ever think of any of the answers until the test was almost over." Indy snorted.

"I teach a lot of students like that."

"You're a teacher?"

"Well, sort of. I work for a college back on earth, lecturing in archeology and history. The archeology department is basically on loan from one of the museums, and every so often, they send me off to do the more…ah…unusual digs. But 95 of my time is spent in lectures and paper graders. And man, did I have some students who procrastinated on everything."

"It worked for me."

"You did well?"

"Well enough to pass. I aced most of my tests as long as they had nothing to do with Tatooine, moisture farming, or vaporators," Luke laughed to himself. "What about you, did you do well in school?"

"Mostly. I did well when I was there. I played hooky a lot."

"What's hooky?"

"Skipping out on school. And making up poor excuses for why I wasn't there. But I always was able to pull my grades up enough to keep my father from worrying." Indy sighed. "Not that he would have noticed even if I did do bad."

"Didn't pay attention?"

"Not in the slightest. The only time I got anything other than a 'that's nice, junior' was when I was learning about history, and then only if we were going through the history of the Crusades. Then he would give lectures to no end."

"Sounds like my uncle, only his lectures were on moisture farming."

"I would always drift off into whatever book I happened to be reading, mostly mysteries, and tried to figure out the plot while he would drone on and on and on."

"Gave you practice."

"Yeah, mostly. He did get me interested in archeology, though. But I preferred the more physical tasks of getting into the dig sites rather than sitting and reading books like he did."

"What's a dig like?"

"Well, _my_ digs are more like rummaging through some forgotten corner of the Earth, following local legends and getting into more scrapes than you could believe. Traditionally, though, a dig is a slow systematic process of sifting through whatever kind of soil happens to be present to find tiny artifacts and then dating them based on what else you find."

"Sounds like it's easy to get confused."

"Yeah, that's why most digs use a grid system to classify everything."

"How so?"

"Well, they take a certain section of land and divide it into a grid, running thin cords in three foot lines, like this." Indy knelt and began drawing lines on the dusty floor. "A map maker then assigns a code to each block going in an A1, A2, A3, etc, pattern." He wrote the letters across the top of the grid and numbers down the side. "Each archeologist then gets a section and carefully sifts through the soil to find anything from stone arrow heads to pottery shards to weapons to tablets. Eventually the entire area is dug through and the team moves to a new site." He slid his fingers through the dust, wiping off his grid pattern. Luke then jerked off his chair.

"Indy, look!" He pointed to where the archeologist had disturbed the dust. "There's a pattern on the floor." Indy stood and stared down at the traces of yellow and black peeking through the dusty imprint.

"That looks like…"

"A spoke of light?"

"Yeah. Help me sweep." The two men instantly dropped down and began to push the dust on the floor away to pile around the chairs. After a few minutes of heavy duty dusting (and a few more minutes of sneezing) they looked down to their work. The tiled floor was a large rosette with a reddish center. The center had delicate cream colored spires that looked like bent palm leaves spreading out to a larger circle of golden yellow. At the edge of the larger circle, black palm leaves cut into creating a pattern of what looked like spears of gold around the edge of the outer circle. If the center of each spear was traced inwards, it would have looked like the spokes on a great wheel.

"The Masters' wheel, eh?" Indy looked down at their handy work. "Not bad for your first digsite, Luke." The Jedi grinned.

"So, which is the seventh spoke?" Indy began pacing around the outer edge of the circle.

"You start there and examine each of the yellow places. Look for any cracks or splits or any irregularities of any kind. Also, tap the floor and listen for a hollow place." Luke nodded and got back down on the floor. The two of them began working around the outer edge, tapping, poking, prodding, and smoothing the solid stone floor. After nearly ten minutes of dusty work, Luke froze.

"I think I've got something." Indy slid over to kneel next to the Jedi who carefully knocked one of the golden spires. The sound beneath it was a deeper thudding sound than the floor next to it. It was a faint sound, but just distinct enough in that quiet room to be noticeable. Indy drew out his knife and began scraping the blade's edge across the yellow floor. At one point, at the very edge where the gold met the red of the floor the knife's blade caught on a hairline crack.

"I can't get my knife in there, it's too small." Luke gestured Indy back.

"Let me try something." The Jedi held his hand over the crack and closed his eyes. Indy watched Luke's breathing slow and his fingers begin to tremble as if something were tugging at them. The floor began to emit a deep grinding sound as the yellow spire slowly lifted itself from the rest of the floor. It had been cut to perfectly fit the black palms on either side, and as it slid out, Indy would marveled at the intricate carving it needed if he hadn't been too busy marveling at Luke's telekinesis. The yellow stone lifted itself free, hovered in the air a moment, before moving off the side slightly. Luke opened his eyes and began to breathe normally.

"That's your 'Force', is it?"

"Yeah. That thing was really wedged in there." The two men stared down into the hole Luke had made. "Can you see anything?" Indy clicked on his torch and shone the powerful beam down into the hole. There, two feet down, was a dust covered lump. Luke reached down and gingerly lifted it out. "It's cloth covered. And heavy." He put it carefully on the floor closer towards the center of the room. Indy helped him slide the yellow covering back into place before he moved to their discovery. The cloth was once white. _Possibly cotton,_ Indy thought as he unwrapped it. The cloth pulled back to reveal a silver grey stone tablet with the now familiar writing upon it.

"Bingo," Indy breathed as he rewrapped the tablet and slid it into his bag. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah, I want to get out of here before we have another run in with some pirates." He got up, picked his torch up off the floor and proceeded to the door. Indy followed, pausing to look back on the dusty room.

"You know, when you begin rebuilding the Jedi, you should definitely consider using this room."

"Yeah, maybe I will, someday." The elevator doors closed in front of them with a quiet swish and again the crypt image popped into Indy's mind.

DXVJKE

"_Commander Tao, this is 16A12 reporting the two life signs are returning to the_ _roof. Requesting permission to engage."_

"Is there any evidence of your presence being known?"

_"Negative, Commander. We are concealed and awaiting your orders."_

"You have permission to engaged. You are to take all there alive."

_"Affirmative, Commander. Out."_

DXVJKE

The elevator doors opened to the dark corridor and the outside beyond that. Indy strode forward but Luke remained frozen at the back of the elevator. The archeologist turned.

"Luke? You okay?"

"LUKE!"

DXVJKE

Luke saw the doors open, not to the corridor that he expected but back to the Jedi Council chamber. Seated in the circle of chairs that they had just left were seven Jedi as real to his eyes as he was.

"You're doing very well, Luke," Corban said, catching his attention first.

"Your friend has quite the head for solving my puzzles," Maceina purred, her grey wings fluttering slightly.

"Yeah, I kind of wish he was around when we were padawans together," Duo quipped, grinning at his brother and glaring at the Sodukan.

"It would have made finding our sabers and homework easier," Katra consented.

"Don't think that it's going to keep being this easy, Luke," Ben cautioned. "You're going to be tested greatly in the next few days."

"Give not into anger or fear," Yoda barked, tapping his cane against the chair that Luke had so fondly stared at minutes before. "Lead to the Dark Side these do. Follow them you should not."

"Don't give up, my son," Anakin said. Luke stared at him and almost wept at his inability to speak with his father. "You _are_ doing well. Don't lose your hope. It is that which is strongest about you, it'll help you more than you know." Corban stood from his chair and walked over to the frozen Jedi.

"Be aware, your time of challenge is coming. You must rely on your friends more than ever and keep a close hold on your anger. May the Force be with you, Luke Skywalker." The room began to swim and Corban's voice was far away. "Oh, and I would have my saber out on the roof if I were you."

DXVJKE

"LUKE! Come on, buddy snap out of it." Indy shook the frozen man until the glazed look in his eyes was gone. Luke shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times trying to get them to focus. "Don't do this to me again, come on, Luke."

"I'm okay. I'm okay." Indy stepped back and carefully perused the Jedi.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I just… sorry." Luke reached down to his belt and pulled out a small black and white cylinder. "Han, ya there?"

_"Yeah, what's up Luke?"_

"Could you do a sensor sweep of the area? Look for anyone in proximity to the roof."

_"Riiiggghhhht… hold on." _

"Luke?" Indy asked, concern written across his face.

_"Hey Luke, I'm getting some twenty people within a thirty foot radius of the Falcon."_ Luke could almost feel the worry in his friend's voice.

"Right, you might want to fire up the engines, and have the bay open. Indy and I are going to make a run for it."

_"We'll be ready." _

DXVJKE

**Insert more dramatic music** Yeah, sorry, another cliffhanger (i do so enjoy them). Not a whole lot of action, but a great deal of dialogue and heck i just turned out nine pages in a little over five hours. I was planning on posting this Saturday evening, but FFnet decided to wackout on me and then my interent went down on Sunday so...here we are. Not sure when the next chapter will come, I've got a heck of a lot of projects to do, (Han-Skywalker- you MUST nag me when six weeks hits 'cause i shall surely lose track of time). Got a battle, a riddle, an answer and some new friends (or they could be old friends, depending on how you look at them) on the way, so stick around...OH! and REVIEW! or I'll sick the Jägenkov on ye! Later dudes,  
DarkX


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this chapter. Except T'ak Kung. He's. Mine. YOU! NO! TOUCH!!! Kay? Kay.

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:

**AllAboutSoul**: thanks so much for reviewing. And I didn't take much time. yeah…ffnet is going nuts on me here. and if you thought last chapter was interesting…heh…I'm interested in your reaction for this one…  
**Han-Skywalker**: Tests… (shudder) I understand really. I'm about to go into that myself. So you really need to poke me eventually. And I was really happy about the dialogue. And the one sentence to five pages happened again. Nine pages this time. yeah. I know. Nuts. Thanks for reviewing.  
**Jedi X-Man**: Thanks for the review, dude. A New Mope totally rocks. Love it. Really. Do update soon, kay?  
**Piper xox Leo**: Simple. I am evil. And I want you people to 1) review in outrage and 2) come back. Hee hee hee. Oh and be glad that I didn't have enough to split this one up or I would have totally made another cliff hanger. Because. I am evil. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: thanks. A bunch. And thanks for being such a faithful reviewer always ready to drop a line. You rock dude.  
**Twisterblake**: Thanks for reviewing. And…I kind of used your idea of Luke using his anger…I like it. Thanks for the good idea!

**WARNING!!!! This is an emo-chapter!** Be prepared people. The faint of heart should not be here. You are warned.

Chapter 27

LifeThread 

When the Stormtroopers were originally created back during the Clone Wars, they were done so with the intention of building the most elite fighting force in the Galaxy. In light of the rise of droid armies, the Clones were considered "better" because of their ability to think for themselves in the intense and ever changing situations that make up any battle coupled with absolute obedience to their commanders. They could move faster and more fluidly than any droid, they could experience anger and battle rage which would increase their fighting power, and they could fight flexibly without the need to move as one being as the droids did. The only downside to the Clones was that they were programmed to be docile, thus increasing their obedience to their commanders, so that there were no fears of mutiny. While most would consider such docility to be a good thing, it meant that Clone units were dependent on their leaders; if the leader died, the unit was, for all intents and purposes, useless.

This then was the reasoning behind the ARC Troopers. The ARC's were specially designed to not be docile. They chose their own leaders based on the same qualities of loyalty, bravery, wisdom, and decisiveness that characterized how non-Clone commanders were chosen. This created a bottom-up power structure that insured two things: 1) the ARC-Commander had the absolute loyalty of his command as long as he didn't screw up and 2) if the Commander fell, the unit could immediately choose another one without the need for orders to come down from on high, so to speak. Such chosen leadership made the ARC's perfect to go into situations that could and would cut the unit off of the main division.

Add to this the fact that the ARC's were the absolute best of the absolute best in areas of speed, ferocity, and determination, and it is quick to understand how valuable they were to the Republic's efforts back during the Wars. When the Republic was consumed by the Empire, Palpatine had no reason to continue using the ARC's due to the fact that there was no need for a unit to be cut off from leadership, but he chose not to disband them. Instead, he intensified their training and added to their numbers, slowly replacing the original ARC's with younger ones, most the top cadets from the Imperial Academy. Though no one knew the reasoning behind this, it was suspected that Palpatine foresaw the need to keep the ARC's in case he ever needed to fight a guerrilla war. But when the time came in the war with the Rebellion, the ARC's never surfaced. In fact, many believed them to be as extinct as the Jedi, relics of a forgotten age.

DXVJKE

The Falcon sat peacefully on the roof of the Jedi Temple, beckoning her passengers to return to their haven. Indy stared at the grey vessel, remembering his astonishment the first time he ever laid eyes on her. _So close_ he thought, silently measuring the distance between where they stood and where she sat. It couldn't have been more than twenty feet, but considering the possibility of hostiles, it might have been twenty miles.

Luke tensed, as he focused himself in the Force, trying to feel the presence of the persons who would try to hinder them. He didn't know if they were pirates, or worse. The possibility of going up against Stormtroopers was no less pleasant than going up against pirates. He looked over at Indy and was inwardly pleased at the sheer determination plastered across the archeologist's face.

"Ready?" Luke whispered softly. Indy only nodded in reply, not breaking his gaze from the cargo bay doors for an instant. Luke reached down and unclipped his lightsaber, placing his thumb on the ignition switch. "Don't stop running, I'll try to provide some cover." Suddenly his comm unit crackled to life.

_"Luke?"_ The Jedi quickly turned it on, twisting the volume down to its lowest setting.

"Yeah, Han, we're ready."

_"Well, you might want to shake a leg, scans are indicating that our friends are_ _beginning to move."_

"Right. We're coming." Luke looked over at Indy and took a deep breath. "Go!"

Both men took off running, bolting through the "door" at a breakneck speed. The Falcon was so close, Indy could almost taste it when something red laced out from the right. Instinctively he ducked and kept running, but more red things came out now from both sides, now from behind him. He could hear the humming of Luke's saber as the green light accurately deflected the red blasts. Indy was almost at the door to the Falcon when the familiar weight of his bag suddenly was gone. One of the red blasts had severed the leather strap, causing the bag to come free. He whirled to go back it, only to be blocked by Luke.

"KEEP GOING!" Luke tried to push Indy into the Falcon but the archeologist protested vehemently.

"THE TABLET!" He broke out of the Jedi's grasp and bolted back for the khaki colored bag. He dropped to scoop it up when a white-hot pain exploded in his side. Burning fire shot through his lungs and he felt his breathing begin to labor. Blackness began to creep into his vision and he barely heard Luke yelling behind him. Pain overwhelmed every sensation except his fear of the coming danger. _NO! GET BACK UP! YOU WILL NOT FALL HERE!_ But it was no use, his body would not respond. The darkness and pain consumed his mind and he slipped into unconsciousness.

DXVJKE

Luke had been expecting twenty hostiles, but not twenty hostile ARC Troopers and when he saw their markings peeking out of the shadows, it took every ounce of his strength to keep from turning and fighting them then and there. These guys had followed them too far for too long, and he was getting irritated. But Indy was his chief concern, he had sworn to himself that he would get the archeologist through this mission alive to get him back to Earth. The intense barrage of fire that the ARC's had unleashed had consumed every ounce of his strength as he tried to protect Indy's back so that when the archeologist turned to go back out into the fire, Luke had no idea why.

He barely heard Indy yell about the tablet, but when he saw the bag on the ground behind him, all realization hit home. He stretched himself out even further in the Force, willing himself back into the fire-fight as every nerve in his body screamed at him for being an idiot.

And then Indy got hit.

It was as though time slowed, and in one instant Luke saw, not the archeologist fall to the ground, but Ben slowly crumple in a heap as the Troopers stood by watching. Fear and desperation and rage filled Luke and burst forth in an intensified "NO!" and pushed him to stand over his comrade's body. Red blood was slowly oozing over the grey tile in an ever-spreading puddle, staining the archeologist with that feared stigma of death. Luke felt frozen at the sight until the Force told him of his situation.

The ARC's were coming.

They moved quickly, surrounding the Jedi and the corpse, but they didn't fire. Luke took a fighter's stance and slowly lifted his saber. _This ends now_, was all he thought as he stared at their black faceplates. Indy had fallen, but he was not about to leave this world unaccompanied.

The green glow of the saber's light reflected off the thickening pool of blood on the floor beneath Luke's feet. _It's about to get a lot bigger_. His hands gripped the saber's hilt even tighter and his muscles tensed to fight. The ARC Commander in front of him slowly took the safety off of his blaster. Milliseconds ticked by as the two faced each other off, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

Then the Trooper to Luke's left exploded in a blast of green energy and red blood. The Falcon's keel gun was taking out the majority of the Troopers, allowing Luke the maneuvering room he needed to get Indy. Grabbing the bloodied body and the stained bag, Luke moved with Force swiftness back to the Falcon, allowing Han to cover his retreat. He raced into the cargo bay, brushing by Leia, who stood in a near shock at the sight of Indy's ravaged body. Blood dripped along the floor as the Jedi bolted to the small medical bay to try and salvage what little life remained in the archeologist. _Please. Please be alright._ The tablet was shoved unceremoniously on the floor as Luke began to hook Indy up to the life support systems. Leia, looking less dazed and more like herself, came in to administer as much help as she could, and ended up just steadying her brother while Han launched the Falcon.

DXVJKE

"Any followers?" Han twisted in the captain's seat to glance up as Leia, lately returned from the medical bay, set foot into the empty cockpit.

"No. Looks like we got off clean. Chewie pretty much wiped them off the roof, I don't think that any of them were left alive, let alone able to follow us." He sighed. "How's Indy?"

"Bad. He took a direct hit in his left side, near the heart. His lung is deflated, a major artery got shredded, and he's lost so much blood. So much blood." Leia turned to hide the fear in her eyes. Han stood and gently embraced her.

"Hey. Hey, it's okay. He's a fighter, he'll be fine."

"You didn't see him when Luke brought him in." Han could feel her try to bite down her sobbing. "His entire side was…"

"Leia, look at me," Han held her at arm's length and stared down into her soft brown eyes. "Indy'll pull through. You've got him hooked up to the bacta tanks right?" She sniffed and nodded. "Then that'll keep him going until we get to Correllia."

"Correllia? Why there?"

"It's safe and it's got one of the best medical facilities this side of the Galaxy. Once we get there, Indy'll get the best treatment available and be back on his feet in no time flat. Okay?"

"But what if—" Han stopped her objection by kissing her.

"Trust me," he said at last, grinning in his roguish way just to make her smile. He gently pushed her into the co-pilot's seat, still holding her hand. She sat, looking out at the vast expanse of hyperspace, trying her best to not worry. Han decided to change the subject, unable to see her in this depressed stage. "Do you know if they got the next clue?" Leia shook her head. "Does that mean no they didn't or no you don't know?"

"I don't know. Luke brought Indy's bag in with him, but I didn't stop to see if there was anything in it…" she trailed off.

"Why don't you go check and start translating it? If we can solve it by the time Indy's better, we won't have to wait around." Leia looked over at the pirate, knowing perfectly well that he was trying to distract her and smiled. She leaned over and kissed him, before getting up to leave.

"What was that for?" Han asked, a little bewildered: Leia didn't usually display affection.

"Thanks, Han," was all he got in reply, as she slipped out the cockpit.

DXVJKE

The hum of the life support systems was the only sound in the medical bay. Relatively soundproof, the room was usually avoided for being too crypt like. Now it held two lives, one was dancing with physical death, the other with spiritual death.

Anger burned within Luke, an intense, deadly, consuming anger. He knew perfectly well that anger led to the Dark Side, but he had no desire to leave it. It was comforting almost, it gave him some solace as he stared at his helpless friend. Anger at the killers gave him an excuse to ignore the prospect of the killing, and so he sat and raged.

"Are you so quick to forget my teaching?" Luke looked up to see the spectral image of his old master standing in a darkened corner.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Luke, if you give into—"

"I SAID I don't want to talk about it," Luke snapped and then sighed. "I'm sorry Ben…it's just that…I'm angry. I can't just swallow it and move on. They almost murdered Indy, how can I forget that?"

"You're not supposed to forget it, Luke, and I was not condemning your anger. Anger is an emotion that we all have, but it's what you choose to do with your anger that determines your standing in the Force. If you let it blaze in hatred or distill into bitterness, then you will move to the Dark Side. But it is quite possible to be angry and still be good."  
"How?"

"By tempering it with justice." Ben's blue-white shadow sat down on the chair beside the young Jedi. "There are many times the Jedi are angry, but it is a righteous anger that is fueled against fighting injustice. If you use your anger to fight for your personal pleasure, then you are no better than the Sith you fight. But if you see your anger as a desire to do something to stop evil, to save and serve others, then you are Jedi."

"But I do want to serve others!"

"No. You want to give reign to your lust for blood. You want to inflict as much pain on the Troopers who did this as they inflicted on him," Ben nodded at Indy's tube covered form. "That is Dark Anger. You must get rid of it." Luke hung his head, shame for his feelings began to fill him, flushing his face with guilt.

"I'm sorry, Ben," he whispered into the darkness. "I understand now."

"Understand what, Luke?" Leia walked into the dark and silent room to see her brother with his head down between his arms. "You okay?"

"I…yeah, Leia, I'm okay." The princess walked over and sat next to her brother.

"I'm here if you want to talk about it." Luke smiled and took her hand.

"I know. I…I need to work through it myself first." She nodded and looked over at Indy.

"Any change?"

"No. He's still on total life support, but he isn't losing anymore blood." Luke sighed. "He needs a real doctor."

"We're already on that. Han's taking us to Correllia for medical treatment."

"That's going to cost a fortune." Leia almost laughed.

"Princess, remember? Besides, the Republic is footing the whole bill for this expedition, I'll just write it off as a business expense."

"Remind me not to be at that meeting, okay?"

"Right." Silence descended between the two siblings, punctuated by the slow rasp of the life support's artificial breathing keeping Indy alive. "Luke?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you get the next clue?"

"Yeah. That's actually the reason Indy got hit. It's in his bag." Luke nodded at the bag with rust colored stains. "Why?"

"Han wants me to start work translating it so that we can get right back to work once Indy's up and about." Luke half smiled.

"I never pegged Han as an optimist."

"Me neither, but I'm kind of glad. It gives me something to do." Luke went back to staring at Indy as Leia reached over for the bag. She quietly stood and left the room and Luke began to purge himself of anger.

DXVJKE

"Could R2 and I be of any assistance, Princess?" C3PO was sitting at the table in the living quarters watching Leia work.

"Not at the moment, thanks." Then she paused and looked up at the gold protocol droid. "Actually, 3C3PO, you could round up Luke and Han, I'm almost done with this and could use their help solving the puzzle."

"Certainly," the droid stood and moved off towards the cockpit, giving Leia a few precious moments of silence to go over what had happened.

She had been overly emotional at the sight of Indy for two reasons. The first was how close they had become. He was as much a part of their team as Luke or Han was, and Leia couldn't stand the thought of losing someone she depended on. The second was that the sight of Indy…it was so hard for her not to picture Han…She jerked and put that thought down. _That will never happen…_But she couldn't totally escape it. Han lying bloodied somewhere…hooked up to life support…on death's doorstep… It was hard. A thin tear slid down her cheek, which she abruptly wiped away as Luke and Han walked in.

"Leigh?" Han slid in next to her.

"I'm fine. I…I finished the translation," she paused. "Where's 3C3PO?"

"Staying with Indy," Luke replied, sitting down. Han turned to Leia.

"Whadaya got?" Luke cut in before Leia could answer.

"Do you really think that we should…with Indy as he is?"

"Why not?" Han answered. "It might be good for him to not do much of anything on this shot."

"But, I just don't feel right about this," Luke protested. "It feels…I just think…"

"I'm the same," Leia said. "I think that we should wait. Besides, I can barely think as it is, much less solving riddles." Han looked from one twin to the other.

"Okay. We'll wait. But Leigh can you at least write down what you've got, just in case?" Leia nodded and copied down the next clue in Indy's journal. She then rewrapped the tablet and put it in the storage container with the others.

"How much longer to Correllia?" Luke asked.

"We should be dropping out of hyperspace—" The Falcon shuddered "—Right now." Han left the table to go back to the cockpit leaving the twins alone.

"Hey Leia?" Luke turned to his sister.

"Yeah?"

"You want to go talk now?" Leia nodded and both left to go sit in the medical bay.

DXVJKE.

The Falcon was docked on Correllia for the good part of three weeks. She underwent massive repairs to clear up blaster pocks, scorch marks, sulfur corrosion, sand, and debris, in addition to the normal wear and tear of space flight. Han and Chewbacca oversaw the repairs, making sure that everything was done just so and the dockhands didn't mess with any of Han's upgrades.

Luke and Leia took shifts supervising the other set of repairs taking place. When they ahd first brought Indy in, they were prepared for the worst possible scenario. But the doctor gave them great hope. The damage done to Indy's lung was by no means severe. On the contrary, the blaster shot had only nicked it enough for the lung to deflate through the already cauterized hole. After a few stitches, some bacta treatment, and rest, the doctors predicted that Indy wold be right as rain.

With renewed hope, the rest of the team spent three weeks resting and watching and waiting. The hospital was keeping Indy sedated to prevent further injury and to help his body heal without the constant worry of pain. The two weeks passed uneventfully, Han reassuring everyone that the ARC's were long gone, and besides, no one could penetrate Correllian defenses. Peace descended and life moved on.

DXVJKE

Leia had gotten in the habit of waking up early in the morning to go relieve her brother in watching Indy. She passed long hours by getting the ton of paperwork done which had been piling up and piling up over the last month and a half. She would work and wait and glance up at the steady graphs indicating Indy's health. There was something comforting in the fact that nothing was going to go wrong as long as he was here. Her earlier worries of him dying had dissipated and she felt a deep peace. Han would come to sit with her during the afternoon, sometimes not saying anything, sometimes talking for hours. Then Luke would appear after evening's fall to stand the night watch and she would go to the Falcon to sleep. Fifteen days of this unbroken monotony passed until one day, as Leia was going over reports of yet another planet's concerns for the New Republic, Doctor T'ak Kung slid gracefully in. He was a Nautolan, one of the few alien physicians on Correllia, and the skilled xenobiologist put on Indy's case. Under his watchful care, Indy's lung had been slowly patched up and his left side sewn back together. T'ak walked up to Leia and smiled down at her.

"I believe it is time to awaken your friend, my dear," he whispered with a voice that matched the quiet of the room.

"What do you mean?" Leia asked, fighting to keep her hopes down lest she be disappointed.

"Your friend is coming along quite nicely, quite nicely indeed. He is at the point in his muscle and tissue regeneration that bed rest would be catastrophic. His new skin needs to be flexed, muscles must be strengthened, and that lung should start working on its own again. This cannot be done with machines, so I believe it is time to wake him up."

"But the pain—" Leia protested.

"Pain is good in humanoids. It keeps them from doing what is stupid. We will give him a pain reliever for his first few days of consciousness, but I do not think that, at this point, pain would be detrimental to Dr. Jones." Leia nodded and watched as T'ak turned off the sedative and wrote something on the board near his patient's head. "I've prescribed him to be given dihydrocodeinone every six hours. It's a moderate pain reliever enough to ease Dr. Jones back into life. T'ak turned to go before pausing, "Your friends can come in, but keep the noise level down. I don't want my patient to be over stimulated. Leia smiled and moved to sit near her friend.

DXVJKE

Darkness and light swirled and intermingled. Sound wafted in and out and in again, like someone was controling the sound on a radio. Indy slowly regained consciousness, pushing at the darkness and trying to focus on the sound. The pungent odors of rubbing alcohol and formaldehyde filled his nostrils and he shied at the thought of being in a hospital. He hated hospitals almost as much as he hated snakes. _Why am I asleep in a hospital?_ This single thread of conscious thought slid through his mind. _Did someone get hurt? _His mind tried to focus. _Did I get hurt?_ He tried to reach out through his body, taking stock of things. Toes, feet, legs, fingers, hands, arms, _Yep, all here._ He tried to open his eyes, but they felt lead heavy. _I've been drugged. I guess I was hurt._ The darkness at the corners of his mind was clearing up, _Why don't I feel hurt?_ The lack of pain was disconcerting. _Has someone sedated me to keep me against my will?_ That thought scared him and he focused all his energy on getting his eyes open. _I've got to know where I am._ He pried his eyelids apart to take in his surroundings.

Light met his eyes. There was a lamp somewhere above him and to his left. It wasn't bright at all, just enough to orient his eyes. He could hear the quiet rustle of some kind of machinery behind him and another out of his left side. _What the hell is that?_ He moved his left hand to touch it, but when he did, pain exploded in his side.

Recognition of what happened hit him like a thunderbolt. The firefight. The Falcon. The bag. Luke. Red light. Pain. Darkness. It all came back in a rush of flashing images but rather than producing agitation, it calmed him. _I'm in a hospital. I was wounded and I'm in a hospital. _He sighed his relief and was about to close his eyes when a face moved into his field of vision.

"Welcome back, Indy,:" came the cool, soft voice.

"Leia," he half whispered, half croaked in reply. "Where?" was all he could get out before exhaustion set in.

"It's okay. You're safe. We got you to a world called Correllia to get you medical treatment."

"How…bad…is it?" It was hard to breathe, hard to speak. His mind was racing at a hundred miles a second, but his mouth was no where near keeping up.

"Not bad at all. You got pretty shot up and lost a lot of blood, but the doctor says you should be back on your feet soon."

"Troopers?"

"No sign of them. Don't worry. Correllia is a safe world. They can't get us here."

"The…the tablet…did you…get…?" Worry crossed his face. If Luke had left it on the roof of the Jedi temple, then they would have to go back. Or worse, it could be in Carron's hands. But Leia eased his fears in heartbeat.

"We got it. I've already translated it and when you're ready, we'll start solving it." Leia watched as every trace of worry vanished from his face. She waited a few minutes and thought he had fallen asleep when he spoke again.

"What did…it…say?"

"You should really get some sleep, Indy."

"My mind…'s fine…please…Leia…" The princess half smiled.

"I don't remember it. But I'll have Han bring it your journal over."

"My…?"

"I wrote it down there. Hope you don't mind." Indy relaxed again.

"Thanks," he whispered. Leia's smile widened and she squeezed the archeologist's hand.

"Get some sleep."

DXVJKE

More voices drifted in from the dark cocoon of sleep as Indy surfaced to consciousness. "Did he speak?" "How…sound?" "…Labored…" "And his…?" "Hey…think he's waking up." Indy opened his eyes to see Luke hovering over his bed.

"Hey, Indy, how do you feel?"

"Drugged" came the reply and Luke laughed, then turned to look towards another figure. Indy tilted his head as much as he could without bringing back the burning pain in his side to see Han and Leia standing next to a very strange figure. This new creature was a grass-ish green with huge black fish eyes and several thick tentacles in place of hair. A large mouth was pulled back into what appeared to be a smile, but Indy wasn't sure. Luke followed the startled gaze and made introductions.

"Indy, this is Doctor T'ak Kung. He's been overseeing your case."

"Hey, doc," Indy croaked out as way of greeting. The fish thing bowed slightly and changed places with Luke.

"Hello, Dr. Jones. I am so very pleased to see that you are not dead." He chuckled and Indy was struck with memories of his Arabian friend, Sallah. "You have been making excellent progress, but I just want to warn you before you start doing too much." The doctor paused. "You were hit badly in your left side by blaster fire. It missed your heart, but you left aortal artery was severed and the corner of your lung was damaged. You lost almost two liters of blood but you don't have any internal bleeding, so there should be no serious complications. W had to reattach your artery, sew up and re-inflate your lung and perform three blood transfusions in addition to a great deal of stitching, bandaging, and bacta treatment. All that is to say that I've put a lot of work into you so don't kill yourself for at least the next year, okay?" Indy almost laughed, but it hurt too much. "Now, over the next few days, we're going to be introducing some small physical activities to get your muscles used to working again. Normally it would be about six weeks before you could go back to doing whatever you were doing when you got shot, but you've shown remarkable progress and as long as there are no complications, you should be back to normal in about a third of that. I understand you and your friends want to speak in private, so I'll be back in a few hours to tell you about your upcoming therapy. Try to sleep between now and then, okay? Good." T'ak moved towards the door while addressing the other three. "And I mean it, I want to see him sleeping within the next hour." T'ak exited, leaving Indy in a whirlwind of medical information. He closed his eyes to digest everything. _I can't move too much too soon_. He moved as carefully as he could to look at the three he had come so far with.

"What's…the clue?" Leia opened the familiar journal he was so used to seeing and began to read the words she had copied down what seemed so long ago.

"_Where water is earth and water is air_  
"_And water is life, above and below,  
_"_An ancient race of people there  
_"_Will tell thee hunter where to go.  
_"_The little giant, backward speaks,  
_"_Will live and walk and from here take  
_"_The easy road to what thou seeks  
_"_Upon the clue his home will make."_

DXVJKE

You know, I was about ready to cut it off when Indy got hit. And leave you all with such a major cliffhanger it would hurt. But my muses threw up a wholly livid fit. It was actually kind of funny. The clue needs solving, which takes **REVIEWS!** people, and I made it kind of easy, so I should see lots of little emails in my inbox telling me that you people are thinking okay? Okay. Good. Right. I've got exams coming up, nasty, smelly, time consuming exams, and projects, and papers, and then going to one rocking conference in Kentucky (check it out at newattitude(dot)org) and THEN having to find work over the summer. So don't expect anything until mid/late May or even early June. Yeah, yeah, school sucks. But it's necessary. Like politics. But that's another rant entirely. In other news, I've got a new account at FanLib(dot)com. Look me up at **darkxvjke. **Same stories. Different site. I'd love to see some familiar faces…or sigs…whatever. I've gotta get some sleep. Later,  
DarkX


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Excepting Darths Sidious and Vader, all these people are MINE!

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:

**AllAboutSoul**: Yes, I hate exams and papers and projects and all that jazz. Hate it to death. And yes, I would give you the clue just to give you something to do while I was writing. Thanks for reviewing!  
**Disneygal16:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! And no, I do not ship IndyXLeia, so that will never happen. But thanks for commenting and do stick around!  
**Dm1**: DUDE!!! I haven't heard from you in like forever. Thanks for the review!  
**H****an-Skywalker**: I've been known to do it. and then make people wait months to find out what happenes. But I didn't. Your answer is almost kind of there…but not quite. No Earth yet but…well, that's all I'll say. Thanks for the review!  
**Jedi X-Man**: Thanks for the review. As for ANM: LOVE IT! it's just too great. Indy's doing fine and thanks for saying hey to me over at FanLib. WHY are your S&S stories not up there???? Update ANM soon please!  
**Maddi-wan:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Thanks so much for your nice kind comments. Thanks for reviewing and do stick around!  
**Mercedes Whitefox**: What's a "Nurikabe" puzzle? Any way, dude you are so totally right on. Thanks for trying to answer it and thanks also for reviewing!  
**Piper xox Leo**: LOOK! I UPDATED! YAY ME!!! if you know the clue you should say it. I like seeing people get my puzzles. Thanks for the review!  
**RavenRulzRF**: Thanks for reviewing!  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: Dude, you so get the cookie reward for making me laugh. The use of quotes to express yourself was too funny. Really. As for spelling/grammar, it happens. I like math, not writing. And I was copying the chapter down from notes and didn't really edit it all that well because I wanted to get it up. And yes, tests suck, but look, I'm back before I said I would be! YAY ME!! which brings me back to: your review was too funny. "Shut up Han" HAHAHAHHHAHAAAAHAHAHAAA!!! Thanks for making me laugh!  
**SwordMaster7:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Thanks for reviewing and no, Luke isn't going Emo. And do stick around!**Twisterblake**: No, I don't think Luke would go Dark Side. And yes, Indy's doing a lot better. Thanks for reviewing!

**AN: LOOK! I'm back before I said I'd be! Yay me!!!! and now I'll shut up so you dear and wonderful people can get on reading the chapter!**

Chapter 28  
The Metal Hunt 

_And he spoke unto them, saying "We live on the road between where we come from and where we are going. When the life begins, so does the road and when the road ends, so does the life. Many are there who wish to stop walking the road where they are, and so never reach the end of their lives. But there are a few, a very few, who choose to reach the destination."  
The Book of Malchiel_

"What are you doing?" The catlike humanoid did not even glance up from the tome she was reading to view the one who dared intrude on her reading.

"Taking a bath, Sk'th, what the kreth does it look like?" Sk'th slid his serpentine bulk through the entryway and sulked at the rebuke.

"I wasssss merely making ssssmall talk, Taivasss. You do not have to be sssso rude." He tried to glance at what Taivas was reading, only to receive a death-glare from the cold green eyes.

"What do you want, snake-boy?" she demanded, snapping the heavy book close to emphasize her ire.

"Aerik wantsss us to discusssss our new mission," Sk'th replied with a sneer. "Perhaps you are doing ssssome research?" he asked, trying to make amends for his actions.

"I was reading Malchiel. He…his words help me to…" she stroked the spine of the chocolate brown leather bound book and grew quiet. Sk'th's smiled sickeningly.

"Aww…isss the kitty home-sssick?" Green eyes snapped and with insane speed, Sk'th was pinned on the floor by the ten stone, orange and olive, enraged Macskian. Taivas had wrapped her right hand around his throat, finger claws digging deep into the soft flesh at the back of his neck where spine met brain, thumb claw poised at his jugular. Fear for his life (or desire to not be paralyzed) kept the Yilanor still as Taivas growled out her displeasure.

"What is the first rule, Sk'th?" she bit out with overemphasized patience.

"Neverhrrkk—never speak of hhkkomme—" the serpent gasped out.

"Yes, and what happens when you disobey the rules?" Taivas's left hand, razor sharp claws extended, slowly drew back to take Sk'th's face off.

"Let 'em up, Taivas." The Macskian jerked her head up to hiss at the second intruder, who stood calmly in the doorway. "Do you have to be so dramatic all the time?"

"Depends," Taivas artistically pushed into an elongated back flip, putting pressure on Sk'th's throat as she unfolded, "On whether he has to be such a kreth-head all the time." She stepped up the red-spike-headed Herisson, giving him an "innocent" smile, as her intended victim staggered up from the floor.

"You alright, Sk'th?" Aerik asked, looking past the cat to the serpent.

"Fine," he spat back. "I told you she doessssn't like me." He massaged the near-puncture marks on the back of his neck. "I would have been kitty litter if you hadn't sssshown up."

"If you'd obey the rules, we wouldn't have to go through this, Sk'th," Taivas snapped back.

"ENOUGH!" Aerik glared back and forth between the two members of his team. "We have a job to do and I will not allow your petty squabbles to ruin our glorious record. Now, Taivas, if you want to turn the snake into your personal scratching post, fine. But leave enough of his cybertronic parts to make me another shortrange."

"But that's no fun at all," she replied, pouting.

"Then let him be. Now, move it, both of you. Zeeth has had the briefing up for the last ten minutes and that means we're late." Taivas sighed, knowing full well that when Aerik was in administrative mode, nothing save a full-scale invasion would get him to do anything other than deliver the freaking briefing.

The briefing room wasn't all that different from any other place on the vessel: grey, blocky, boring. All that seperated it out was 1) there was a heck of a lot more computer gear here and 2) you could always find the resident Android in this room. Taivas smiled half to herself as her second comment was proved correct. There, sitting at the back of the room, hooked up to the largest computer terminal, was the Z31MR Experimental Transferred Memory Containment Android Unit, or Zeeth as he preferred being known. Taivas slid into her chosen seat, and settled down for the next two hours of mind numbing boredom as Aerik forced them to watch that Forced-damned transmission until they had it memorized. Zeeth had probably already seen it at least thirty times through, analyzing it so as to have immediate information for Aerik's use. Did he complain? No, of course not. Because even though Zeeth had a full range of emotions and the means to express them, he held Aerik in the highest esteem and would never question the Herisson's orders like Taivas did on a daily, even hourly, basis.

The Macskian almost laughed in a most undignified manner. The thought of Zeeth copping an attitude like she did was so absurd—

"Taivas?" The sharp voice cut through her private thoughts. "Would you like to join us for this?" Aerik had taken his place at the table, glaring at her as her mind wandered.

"No. I would really like to go back to my quarters to finish what _some_one so rudely interrupted," she replied with biting sarcasm before riveting her attention on Aerik. "But seeming how you have no intention of letting that happen, I guess I'll just stay here."

"You really don't have to be so asssssssssidic, you know," Sk'th commented, curling his metallic snake-bulk beneath him to "sit" at the table.

"And you don't have to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, you know," Taivas snapped back, allowing the silver white tips of her claws to just catch the light. Both Sk'th and Aerik looked about ready to reply when a synthetic voice broke into their fight.

"Are we ready, then?" The grey hulking android sitting at the far end of the room turned as if just then noticing the three of them. Aerik nodded and the room darkened, allowing them to see the transmission in all its glory. Taivas sighed and proceeded to let the kitty-is-bored-out-of-her-mind-and-ready-to-claw-someone-to-pieces-just-for-something-to-do-look descend. Sk'th pointedly ignored it, still remembering the claws from moments before; Aerik directed his complete attention to the task at hand; Zeeth began the transmission, and Taivas sighed. No getting out of this one.

The blue light of a holographic projection shot up from the middle of the table and, rather than some nameless flunky of an officer playing delivery boy, there appeared a black cloaked figure of stature they were more than familiar with.

"_Aerik, Taivas, Z31MR, Sk'th. I hope this message finds you healthy and ready to fulfill your debt to me. Long have I helped you and held you back to strike when it was necessary. Now is that time. I have a little mission for you…"_

DXVJKE

"_There is no sense in allowing the actions of others determine your own path. Though the destination is the same for all, the path for all is not the same. If you let someone else determine your path, then your path becomes the same as theirs. This is against the course that the Macsk has set for us and it will only end in disaster. You walk your path, and no one else's. This is the Way of the Macsk." The Book of Malchiel_

"Thirty times we had to sit through that?" Taivas was seething at Aerik, like she always did after a briefing. "All he said was come to such and such a place at some krething hour to receive our orders. Thirty times we had to watch that kreth-filled drivel."

"There is nothing wrong with reviewing what we know," Aerik tried to explain, as he always did.

"It was ninety seconds long! NINETY SECONDS!" Only to get shot down, as he always was. "HOW THE KRETH MUCH INFORMATION CAN YOU GET FROM NINETY SECONDS?!" Experience told him to weather the storm and Taivas's mood would change, as it always eventually did.

"Oh, don't get your tail in a knot, kitty-cat." Unless Sk'th interfered, like he always would. And then Aerik would have the cleaning droids worked overtime to get the Yilanor bloodstains off all the walls. He sighed. Darth Nyeri would have his head if he was here to see the lamentable order his team was in. They were supposed to be the absolute best team of warriors in the galaxy, better than the Rebellion, better than the ARC's, better than the Jedi, even. And yet, half the time they bickered like a bunch of children.

Aerik ran his hand through his flame colored head-spikes, a sure sign of his fraying patience that would have sent any sane person running for the nearest high-powered blaster-rifle, and let out a second sigh. Zeeth's round slate colored head jerked up from the computer terminal to look at the Herisson.

"Aerik?"

"Have you relayed the coordinates to the SANS yet?"

"Already done. We shall reach the rendezvous site in two hours and twenty seven minutes."

"Good." Aerik suddenly realized that Taivas was not beating the living daylights out of Sk'th and the abnormality of this fact sent shivers down his spine. He looked over at the Macskian, who was carving careful patterns in the tabletop, trying to gauge how long it would be until Sk'th was a rotting carcass on the floor.

"Taivas?" She flicked those cold green eyes up and then back to the table. "You aren't trying to kill Sk'th?" She snorted like that was amusing. Warning bells went off in Aerik's head. There were two rules he had learned very solidly in his life: do not make Wookies lose at holo-chess and do not make Macskians laugh. Bad things came if either of these things happened, usually painful bad things.

"Waste of time. Besides, I'll need my claws in top condition for this mission." Aerik's eyes narrowed at this declaration. Taivas's claws were a triple layer of iron reinforced bone covered in high-density plutonium covered carbon alloys laser sharpened and practically guaranteed not to lose their cut for the next century or so.

"What do you mean?"

"You mean you don't realize the implications of this little missive we've got?" She paused, as if noticing that she had all three sets of attention. Zeeth had even stopped his interface with the computer. She rolled her eyes and began to explain as if they were a bunch of children. "Nyeri has had you on the payroll for the last ten years, me and Sk'th on for at least eight, and Zeeth, who knows how long. In that time we have witnessed the triumph of the Empire, the redistribution of the ARC's the rise of the Rebellion, the reemergence of the Jedi, the fall of the Empire, and the institution of the New Republic. Yet not once has any one of us been called to do anything more than battle sims and train the few surviving Storm Troopers. It seems to me that if our illustrious leader is calling us out now, we must be going against something big, bigger than all that." Aerik looked at his feminine teammate. What she had automatically assumed had never come to his attention at all and the implication of what she said was quite, well, scary almost. Could this situation be that bad?

"So," Zeeth intoned, "I suppose this means we're going to spend the next few hours running the strategic self-mutating defense regimen number four?"

DXVJKE

The dark of the room only served to heighten the cold silver light from the myriad of stars. Millions of stars meant billions of worlds and zillions of cities where they could be hiding. How far ahead were they on this hunt? How close were they to the prize? And why the Sith was it taking so long for the—

Piercing artificial light cut through the dark and illuminated the black-cloaked occupant of the starlit room. A shadow crossed in the lit doorway, announcing that the intruder was a senior level officer.

"What is it?"

"The—they just entered the system here, my lord." The black cloak turned to reveal a deathly pale face. Carron smiled grimly at the officer.

"Then by all means, send them in." The officer nodded and ducked out, once again plunging the room into darkness. Carron's smile faded as he returned to the stars. His team, his weapon, his strategic defense against the universe, was now ready to serve his desire to reach the Lost Valley. Long had he been preparing them, building them, training them, and above all, sheltering them from the world outside to keep them in prime for his missions. They were formed at the height of the Empire.

Carron was not an idiot. When a Sith lord, who just happened to be the emperor, came to him with a proposition of training in the Dark Side of the Force, Carron had taken precautions. One does not blindly hand one's well being to a person who created a false war merely to gain power…unless one is quite prepared. And when he found out that the Sith already had an apprentice, the need for preparation became even more necessary. So Carron had decided that his place in Sidious's operation was going to be "Plan B". Meaning, if Vader fell, Sidious would have a backup. But while Vader remained strong, Carron's actions were not looked into, and he had free reign to design his own schemes.

It began with the Z31 Transferred Memory Containment Android Unit. The idea was to take terminally ill patients and transfer their consciousness to an artificial life form, thus allowing the person to "live" even if the body was dead. And, as all good ideas need a trial run, Carron had "volunteered" one of the soldiers placed under his command to be put in this android body. Thus, Z31MR was born. Carron didn't know if the medical personnel who came up with this idea ever went on to actually helping dying patients, and frankly he didn't care. Because he had just been given a way to be prepared if Sidious ever became a threat. He would find warriors throughout the galaxy and turn them into an elite group of super soldiers: his own version of the ARC's.

The first of these was, of course, the Z31MR. After him, Carron found Aerik. The Herisson was everything Carron wanted in a team leader: bravery, determination, and absolute loyalty to the cause. Aerik work as a field commander in his world's constant internal wars that had kept Herissia out of the old Republic set him out with intense military training. He knew exactly how to lead and he did it surprisingly well, until that one bomb left him a para-amputee: torso living in a grimy hospital waiting for infection to come and claim him. Carron offered him life, a new profession, new limbs, and a new home if Aerik would command a team he was putting together. Needless to say, Aerik came.

Sk'th came to Carron seeking work as an assassin, and got outfitted with a mechanical serpent-like lower torso. The Yilanor had been a wanted man on fifteen systems for murder, theft, blackmail, and the usual skuldluggery that the Empire tried to do away with. Now, Sk'th was a wanted man with a carte blanch. He worked for the Emperor's apprentice, and no one could touch him. Not that anyone wanted to: the snake half tapered down to a barbed tail loaded with a poison rumored to kill on contact.

Taivas Aerik found in a bar on Corescant. The Macskian had artfully stolen his credit pass, identification papers, the key-card to his speeder and his communicator (all of which were in different pockets) in the space of 75 seconds. He found her when she was arrested for grand theft cruiser (specialized tracking device in the passenger's seat) and offered her a choice: jail or join his team as a spy. Opting for the latter, Taivas came and was fit out with specially designed mechanized hands, complete with cat claws, and an optical sensor array that would allow her to see inside practically anything.

Carron had considered getting a fifth member for his little group, but decided against it for the sake of staying under the radar. He told the four of them that they would be kept for a day when the Empire needed them most, when he really desired to have them as a protective measure against the very thing they swore to serve. Chuckling on this, Carron imagined their reactions when he presented them with their first real task.

A second time the door opened, admitting four figures into the darkened room. A second time Carron turned to address the intruders, but rather than cold civility, actual pleasure was on his face. His team, his weapon, his elite now stood before him, waiting to do his bidding, to bring him power. Indestructible and as unyielding as the Metal Hunters for which they were named, they were ready for this task, and he was pleased.

"Hello, my Jägenkov."

DXVJKE

And so it is that we meet the illusive, previously mentioned Jägenkov. And, no mention of the gang. Don't worry, they're all fine and happy. Indy's recovering, Leia is shoe-shopping or something and working on Force-awful reports for the New Republic, Han is upgrading the Falcon and trying to figure out why I keep making the hyperdrive crash (you would think he'd get the fact that I'm evil and need a running gag by now), R2 and 3P0 are bickering, and Chewie is...doing Wookie things (actually he won't tell me what he's doing and I am quite familiar with the two things Aerik mentioned). Macskians, Yilanor, Herissons and Transferred Memory Containment Android Units are all MY idea. Aerik and Taivas are based very VERY loosely off of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle (respectively) as protrayed over at Chris Dee's CatTails (best Batman/Catwoman fiction EVER written) and I've also borrowed the strategic self-mutating defense regimen number four (also known as the Big Bad Zogger) from the same site. If any of you are strong Seluce shippers (AND YOU SHOULD BE!!!) go Google "Chris Dee and CatTails" and read the lady's fics. Stunning, simply stunning.   
A lot of you answered my riddle in the last chapter with crazy-good accuracy, which means that I made it too easy. (Evil Grin) Don't think that it's going to be that easy for the Gang. 'Cause they've got a recovering archeologist, a new clue, an emo Jedi, bickering couples, evil bad Sith, superior Metal Hunters, and a surprising familiar character on the horizon to deal with. The next couple of chapters are going to be LOTS of fun. So, drop a review and let me know you're still living, and I'll see you all as soon as HanSkywalker starts clammoring for a new chapter. Later,

DarkX


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: all characters you recognize are property of George Lucas and Stephen Speilburg. Leia's abilities are mine as is T'ak. You no touchie!

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:

**AllAboutSoul**: yes, they are most certainly fun. Thanks for reviewing!  
**Disneygal16:** They're back! And better than ever! Yes, I kind of threw people for a loop with the last chapter…boy was that fun! Thanks for reviewing!  
**Han-Skywalker**: you are correct absolutely correct! Thanks for the review!  
**Ilikedan:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Awww you're making me blush. Thanks so much for reviewing!  
**Jedi X-Man**: Thanks for the review. And you can pressure me. I don't mind…much. It actually motivates me! Update ANM soon please!  
**Mercedes Whitefox**: AHAH! I get it now. Wow, high praise for my puzzles. And…yeah…it was long. This one's long too…but the next chapter will be great. Thanks for reviewing!  
**Nicollaney:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! What the heck was what? Thanks for reviewing anyway and do stick around.  
**Obi's Second Cousin:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! I wait for Han-Skywalker because he's the only one who pesters me about updating. But if you want to pester me, then I shall add you to the list of people whom we wait for. In the aura bit: Leia is the griffin. Luke is…well, you shall have to keep reading to find out. Thanks for reviewing!  
**Piper xox Leo**: Thanks so much! I love the four of them too. Thanks for the review!  
**RavenRulzRF**: probably badly because I have no idea how to end this story. Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you're not dead!  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: yeah…impossibility. This is going to make this story so freakingly hard to end…when it comes time to end…which may be like fifty chapters from now at the rate I'm introducing characters. Sk'th is weird. His top half looks human, Egyptian features, but from his lower half down it is like a cobra. Only metal. With a poison tail. So yeah, think Centaur with a snake for his lower half. Thanks for the review!  
**Twisterblake**: uhhh….i have no idea at all…but thanks for reviewing!

AN: The Gang's baaaaaack! (Everybody party!!!) 

Chapter 29

My Worst Pains

_"Where water is earth and water is air"_

Indy gripped the handrails with white knuckles and continued to press his feet against the heavy set of weights. He had spent the last five weeks using this weight machine, along with a slew others, trying to get his body accustomed to functioning again after the three weeks of drug induced rest that was needed to keep him alive.

_"And water is life, above and below,"_

By the end of week one, he was walking, albeit slowly, for short stints through the day. Four days later, he was off the heavy-duty pain medication and in the physical therapy room nigh on permanently. Weight training, aerobics, hand-eye coordination, it had started slowly, but he had continually pressed himself to his limits, as always. By the end of week three, he was back to "normal" parameters by the hospital's standard, but still a shell of what he had been. So he pressed on.

"_An ancient race of people ther_e"

Indy had been going over the clue for so long that he could repeat it word for word. It had been the mantra to get him through leg pressing his own bodyweight, running that extra minute, getting up in the morning when every muscle screamed in agony. For him, that clue, those eight lines of an ancient language represented everything he had gone through and what he still had to accomplish.

"_Will tell thee hunter where to go." _

He had a pretty solid idea of what it meant, but when the others pressed the issue, he would give no information. To tell the truth, he needed that little puzzle, that bit of mental unknown that he had control over, to balance out the physical unknown he didn't con—_NO!_ his conscious mind bit back against that subconscious despair. _I DO have control over my self._ He pressed again at the weight, feeling the burn in his legs, his lungs, the thumping of his heart. _I will be better._

"_The little giant, backward speaks_,"

The swimming pool was his favorite part of therapy. The water buoyed up against aching muscles and allowed him to just…relax. He would swim, eventually. But for the first fifteen minutes of pool time, all he did was float.

_"Will live and walk and from here take"_

There was something innately pleasant about the water. It would glide past him, past the water-resistant bandages the staff had begun putting on the scabbed over, stitched up, used-to-be-a-gaping-hole in his side when they found out how much he like swimming. The doctors and medical staff at Correllia were perhaps the nicest bunch of medical people. Even with all their big words, and really…weird…looking personnel, they were very nice and had a policy of anything that kept their patients optimistic was fine by them. Thus, Luke and the others had practically unrestricted access to his rooms and he got water-resistant bandages for pool time.

"_The easy road to what thou seeks" _

This was the time Indy used to decompress all the brooding he did during his physical therapy and try to match his thoughts with the information he collected early in the morning. He had a small computer terminal and got it hooked up to a pretty decent research computer. Every day he got an idea while re-training his body, he would file it away in his brain and then research it on the terminal. Now, he used the information he gathered to go over the clue again, searching for any nuance that may contradict his theory. Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes a day for the past two weeks was over a continuous day hammering at this one theory from every angle he could.

"_Upon the clue his home will make."_

But it wouldn't budge. He had an idea where this thing was and at last, he felt like his body could keep up with the next leg of the hunt. It was time to tell the rest of the gang. They were going to—

"Mind if I join you?" Indy flipped from his floating position to his head bobbing just off the surface of the pool. T'ak was standing at the edge of the pool, repeating the same question he had asked for nigh on four weeks.

"I think you just ask that to irk me, Doc." Indy replied as he had for nigh on three weeks.

"It is merely my way of alerting you to my presence," T'ak answered back, taking off the white robe he was wrapped in, to reveal the familiar brown swimming trunks. The grass-green skin was still otherworldly in Indy's eyes, but it was no longer disconcerting as it had been on their first meeting. T'ak was the physical therapist for the swimming area, and took special time to work with Indy. The Nautolan was an amazing swimmer and seemed to come alive when he slid into the water. In a moment, he was treading water some three feet away from Indy, smiling. "I am quite pleased with the progress that you have been making, Indy. Do you believe you are ready to leave?" Indy replied by diving beneath the surface and swimming the length of the pool. He surfaced, breathed, and dove back under to do the basic waving kick of a Butterfly stroke. Returning to his former position, he looked at T'ak, acting that he just hadn't swum the length of the pool twice in roughly a minute 15 seconds.

"Yeah, I think I am." The doctor smiled again.

"Good, I'll have your release file signed and submitted by noon tomorrow." Indy seemed a little vacant in his nod and T'ak decided to get back to the business at hand. "Ready to swim?" That roguish grin crossed the archeologist's face.

"Yeah."

DXVJKE

He missed the water. It had been nearly a day since his last swim and there was almost an ache to get back to that blue oasis. The luscious feeling of weightlessness, of buoyancy, of not having to support his own weight was gone, and Indy was having withdrawal symptoms. At least, that's what he was telling himself. The truth was, he was homesick. Memories of swimming holes back home would fill his mind in the void before sleep. Memories of staring at the Mediterranean for the first time, going to the beach, diving into the Colorado river; memories of water on Earth led to memories of Earth itself and he ached. As fun as this space jaunt had been, the archeologist was anxious to get home.

He turned back to the tablets sitting before him and sighed. It was going to be a long journey before he could set foot on that planet again. Part of him wanted to give up now and go home. Another part revolted in hate towards the thought of leaving an unsolved puzzle. A third part shuddered at the memory of that weirdo Carron:

"_And why should I help you?" Indy walked over to the table with his tools._

"_Oh, come now Doctor," Carron said breezily, "I can see how much you want to work on them. A thousand-year-old puzzle, a treasure hunt, you want to solve it. That's why you joined this little escapade, correct?"_

The archeologist was torn. The time in the hospital had given him lots of time to think and most of it went back to those brief days when he was captured by the ARC's. Going back to Earth now meant that he was giving up in possibly the highlight of his profession. But staying meant that Carron was right. He did want to solve the puzzle, and that meant that Sith-lord-whatever was…_What? Using me? And if he could be using me then what about…?_ The unbidden thought of betrayal popped once again into his head, and Indy sighed. "What am I doing here?"

"Looks to me like you're staring at a load of rocks." The archeologist looked up to see Han walk through the door.

"Han, can I ask you a question?" The pirate slid into the bench in the living area and grinned.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Why are you here?"

"Well, I was going to get something to eat and—"

"No, no. I mean, why are you…you know…ferrying us around the galaxy looking for something you don't believe exists?" Han ran his hand through is hair and sighed.

"Well that would be because the kid bugged me into it."

"Luke?" Han nodded. "Then why did you go along with it?"

"I like it," Han replied. "I like pushing the Falcon to the limits, doing things no one's ever done before. It's fun."

"So it doesn't bother you that Luke and the others are…using you…using your desire for their own gain?" Han seemed to analyze Indy for almost a full minute before replying.

"I don't think they're using me. I mean, yeah they benefit from my ability to outrun, out gun, and out maneuver anything this side of the universe."

"And your obvious modesty," Indy added. Han grinned and continued.

"But, if I had found out about this…quest…thing apart from all them, I would have tried it on my own, even without Luke begging me to come along. I don't believe the whole-most-powerful-thing-in-the-universe bit, true, but hey, those rocks you're holding could fetch quite the price from an art collector." Pictures of Carron flashed through Indy's mind as the pirate said that.

"But what if—" Indy started before being cut off.

"Look, Indy, everyone has certain things that they're good at that they'll use. I do what I do because I'm good at it and I like doing it. If my friends benefit from my abilities, fine. That's a perk. But what I'm interested in is if _I _benefit from it. And that settles all the what-ifs in the world." Indy mulled over the pirate's words while pretending to study the rocks in front of him. Han stood up, walked over to the kitchen area and got himself a plate of some beige colored goo that looked only halfway edible by human standards, and seemed to be ready to leave. Until Leia walked in. And made a face.

"Uggh. What is that awful smell?" She turned towards Han, scrutinized the plate of goo, and made another face. "What in the Force is that?"

"Chicken-a-la-Solo," the pirate replied. He offered the plate, "Want some?"

"You actually _eat _that stuff?" Leia looked from the "chicken" to Han. "It's a wonder you're still alive."

"Hey, your worship, not everyone gets a four star chef to cook for them every day." Leia bristled at the name but melted into a smile at the grin on Han's face.

"Remind me to get you a proper replicator when this is all over," she said, turning to sit next to Indy.

"Hey Leia?" Han asked, touching her arm lightly. Leia looked back up with raised eyebrows. "Get me a proper replicator when this is all over." Indy, who had been watching this dialogue in silence, now broke up laughing as Leia punched Han hard enough in the arm to make him wince.

"Ow, geeze, what was that for?" the pirate cried defensively.

"Whatever it was, you probably deserved it," Luke said, strolling into the room. Han took a look of wounded dignity as everyone ganged up on him. Deciding that this was a good time to stop the conversation from going south, Indy cleared his throat.

"You guys ready to finish this?" Han left the plate of chicken goo on a side table and slid in next to Leia. Luke straddled a chair and gently touched the clue slabs that they had given so much to gain.

"You've thought about it, right?" Leia asked, voicing the question on the other two's minds.

"I've been in rehab for five weeks with nothing much to do but think."

"So, where are we going?" Han asked, positioning himself to leave for the cockpit.

"Place called Dagobah." Luke's head jerked up.

"Dagobah? You sure?"

"Yeah, mostly." Indy began to position his notes to go over the defense he had been constructing for the last five weeks. "The planet has to be a world where a great deal of the planet's surface is covered by water, referenced by the first part of the first stanza: 'Where water is earth'. The planet could be Bal'demnic, Kamino, Roon, Mon Calamari, or Dagobah, as all are mostly water based planets. But only Dagobah matches the rest of the location clues. The line 'and water is air' signifies a high concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere: mist, which only Dagobah has. The next line 'and water is life, both above and below' again matches Dagobah only. Most of the four other planets have life either above or below the surface of the water, Dagobah alone has both."

"What about the 'ancient race of people'?" Leia asked.

"Could either signify that the people have been living there for a very, very long time uninterrupted or that they just live to be very, very old."

"Indy's right." Luke piped up, "The next clue's on Dagobah." Leia looked over at her brother.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"The next part of the clue: 'the little giant, backwards speak'. That describes Master Yoda."

"Master? He's a Jedi?" Indy made a note in his journal as he asked the question.

"Yeah," Luke answered quietly. "He was the greatest. Yoda lived for nine hundred years and trained more Jedi than any other Master. And he had a weird way of putting his verbs before his nouns when he was speaking." Luke looked back down at the granite slab in front of him. "He died a few years ago."

"Which means that he's already gotten to the Valley," Leia finished, also quiet. She knew the deep respect and filial love that her brother had for the wizened old Jedi and inwardly wished that she could have met Yoda too. A few moments of silence passed before Han got up.

"Well, then I'll go tell the Correllian officials that we'll be undocking soon." He slid out the door and Indy voiced his final thought.

"You don't happen to know where Yoda lived, do you, Luke?"

"Uh, yeah…you don't mean that the clue is…" the Jedi looked almost shocked.

"It can't really be that easy…can it?" Leia asked no one in particular. Indy merely looked down at his notebook and grinned.

DXVJKE

Dagobah is known in the New Republic for two things: reviving the Jedi order and being one of the worst eyesores of a planet this side of the universe. For the longest time, Han thought that this was just bad publicity because the swamp things liked eating droids, but now that he saw the green world he changed his mind.

"Chewie, tell me why we're going to a planet that defines the phrase 'boil on the butt of the galaxy'."

"GRAAAAraaaaaaaarrrrrrn." Han chuckled as the Wookie began checking their landing gear to begin the descent.

"Yeah, this almost makes Tatooine look like a nice place to vacation." Han double-checked the coordinates they were pulling towards and began looking for a whole in the thick forest that he could sit the Falcon in.

"RRLLLOOOOhhhhhhhn nnaan ggrrraaaaaahhhhkk. UAAH uaah uaah." Chewie fell into the deep Wookie laughter at his own joke, Han joining in with a vicious grin. There were times that he was happy he was one of the two persons on the Falcon that could understand his friend's language as Chewbacca's amusement stemmed from quite a rude beginning.

"Careful, buddy, Luke may not have super hearing, but those 'Force powers' of his may end up biting you in that big furry backside of yours."

"HHHAAAAUUUUNNNN eeeerrrrrnnnkkk AAUUgggggkk."

"HAHAHAHAhaaaa," Han tried to keep scanning while laughing but with little avail. The scanner suddenly bleeped that it had picked up something, breaking through the mirth on the bridge. Han riveted his attention to the small computer screen and grinned. "What do you think about this?" Chewie glanced over and then immediately began plugging the coordinates in the computer.

"EEErrrrrnnnnnnnnnAAAAAA Ggggghhhhhhhhlllllllllllllll."

"Yeah, but it's the only solid ground that isn't covered with thousand year old trees and swamp slime. Besides, five miles is only a good stretch of the legs."

"Hhaug nnnnnoooouuu iiiiGGGAAAaaaakkkk."

"I know. I KNOW! But what am I going to do about it? We've got to pick our battles, and this sure ain't it," Han sighed as the Falcon dipped gracefully through the lower atmosphere to the dot of opening in the thick tree canopy. "Since we know exactly where we're going, we shouldn't be too long."

"UuuuuullllllllGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGAAAaaaaannnnn."

"You said it, Chewie." The Falcon slowed up and slipped through the whole to land on this rare patch of solid ground. Han and Chewie left the cockpit and moved to the cargo bay where the rest of the group was gathered. Luke and Leia were decked out in grubbier clothes than usual, with light packs of provisions and torches strapped to both of their backs. Luke secured his lightsaber as Leia checked the power levels on two blasters, handing one to Han as he walked in. Indy was wearing what he always wore, but was carefully folding up an extra sheet of oilcloth to protect whatever it was that they were going to find. C3PO and R2, who had elected to stay in the Falcon, were receiving their last sets of instructions from Luke while Chewie snagged his crossbow.

"Five miles is a long way to walk, Han," Leia remarked as the pirate lifted his own pack from the floor.

"I'd rather walk twenty than have to fish the Falcon out of this…Sith-hole of a planet."

"Hey, I trained here!" Luke turned indignantly.

"Yeah, and while that happened, this swamp rained on all your supplies, tried to eat R2, and sucked down your X-wing. The last thing we need is for the Falcon to become a permanent fixture of your 'training' ground." Indy made a sound like he was trying to choke down a laugh. Han took this as backup and continued his rant, turning back to Leia. "So yes, we're walking. Hope you brought your hiking boots." Indy clapped his fedora to his head.

"So, let's go."

DXVJKE

"Boil on the butt of the galaxy" didn't even come close to describing Dagobah. It was humid, sticky, wet, slimy, dirty, grungy, dark and smelled weird. Indy had been in thicker jungles, nastier swamps, and been around far more destructive creatures, but never in something this big. A planet-sized swamp seemed a little daunting, but Luke had been here before and took the point to lead them to Yoda's house. Indy's internal cartographer was keeping careful track of where they were going in case they needed to make a quick run back to the Falcon.

After mile four of slugging through the swamp, Han was beginning to regret his stretch-of-the-legs mentality. He was dog-tired, but he couldn't say anything about it lest he incur Leia's indignation for being a hypocrite. So, he slugged. The swamp continued, with Luke tearing through the overgrowth using Jedi abilities and eager anticipation to be back at his old Master's house.

For Luke, this was the closest thing he had left to an actual home. Tatooine was a reminder of losing his aunt and uncle. Corescant reminded him of Ben, for some strange reason, so he couldn't live there, as Leia wanted him to. The Falcon was nice, because his friends were there, but that was Han's home. The former Rebel bases, which had become military headquarters, were far too impersonal to be any kind of refuge for the Jedi. Only Dagobah, specifically Yoda's house, was a place that he could rest. He felt a greater connection to the Force, an aura of peace and stability. No one came here in the first place, and none of the planet's local fauna disturbed the house. Luke looked forward in eager anticipation to showing his friends, the family that he had grown close to, the one place in the universe he could call home.

Thus the group was moving at quite a fast pace. Leia wanted to get someplace where she could sit down without covering her backside in swamp goo. Indy wanted the next piece of the puzzle. Han wanted to get the stupid thing, and get then back to the Falcon, ASAP. Chewie was the only one actually enjoying the trek, as the forest was thick enough and dense enough and muggy enough to remind him of his home-world. And to tell the truth, there is only so much metal one Wookie could take before finding a nice patch of forest became a necessity.

It was a fast pace, one just quick enough so as not to be a stroll. Indy was able to mark certain kinds of tree formations and moss structures that would give the botanists back home a field day, when suddenly he noticed that the group had picked up the pace. He half ran to keep up with Leia and Han, who were running to keep up with Chewie. The Wookie was racing after Luke and growling to wake the dead. Indy could just make out the white-ish shade of jumpsuit as it zipped through the forest at what could only be described as "Force-Speed". It was unnaturally fast for a humanoid and the fact that Luke was _running_ made Indy pour more speed on as well.

He had lost sight of just about everybody when the curved behind an unusually large tree. Indy slid around it and stopped just short of crashing into seven feet of Wookie. Han and Leia were standing next to Chewbacca, staring at the clearing ahead. Indy carefully stepped to the side of Han and gasped, not for air, but from shock.

What had once been a swamp was now a warzone. Trees had been upturned, roots shattered, huge pockmarks scarred the earth, the swamp water was all but non-existent and brown with churned with mud. There were trenches, slashed wood, broken rock, and mud splattered everywhere. Images of the Somme resistance slammed to the forefront of Indy's consciousness with the weight of a .44 slug. He tasted bile in the back of his throat as the scene before him merged with the war-torn hell that had become the Battle of the Somme in France. He could almost smell the blood and rotting flesh of his fallen comrades beginning to decay in the foot deep contaminated water. Panic began to grip him as did the undeniable urge to vomit. His sixth sense began to tingle and he instinctively looked up for when the German shells began to rain down after long silences like the one they were currently in. _Cover! We need to find cover and now! Just standing here on the battlefield unprotected was suicide. We have to get out of here. We have to— _

"—Get him out of here, Han." The images of Somme vanished with Leia's words. Indy shook his head to rid himself of the dizziness, and again took in the landscape before him. But instead of seeing scenes of the Great War, Indy saw Luke standing, not moving, just staring at a pile of grey colored rubble. Han began to move forward and Indy followed, if anything to do something that would keep his memories suppressed.

"Luke?" Han asked quietly, coming up some two feet behind the Jedi. Luke still wasn't moving, barely even breathing. Indy flanked him on his right side with Han coming up on the left. They were waiting for something, anything to happen, both recognizing the signs. Luke was in a trance. And they didn't know if this was a half-sleep-weird-dreams-trance or an I-hear-drums-going-crazy-trance, so they flanked him and waited. What they didn't know was that Luke wasn't the only one in a trance state.

DXVJKE

It was the second time this had happened, and she still wasn't used to it. she had kind of expected to be used to this…what did Reighyn call it? _Seeing._ She was seeing those glowing animals again. Chewie's red-gold tiger thing was beside her, green wolf on Luke's left, blue wolf on Luke's right, her griffin was standing right in front of her, as if waiting for her signal; everything seemed right.

But it wasn't right. There was something wrong with Luke. He was like himself, but not like himself. She _knew_ he was her brother, but he didn't look like the Luke she met in the cell-block on the Death Star. He was a silver-white, winged, beast with a hoofed rear-half and taloned front-half. His head resembled that of a hawk, and overall he looked too strange for words. But the word came anyway: _Hippogriff, he's a hippogriff._ She saw the griffin toss its head in agreement, and Leia willed it to move towards her brother. She felt the tiger follow and the wolves seemed to sense her, for the parted ever so slightly to allow the lion-hawk to come to the side of the horse-hawk.

Before her in the crumbling ruins she knew physically existed, she saw what made her brother freeze. She saw a white lily crumpled and burning with black fire. The griffin knelt and buried its beak in the dirt as it mourned. Leia felt like mourning herself: peace had died here. And it was killing her brother.

She willed the griffin to stand and minister to the hippogriff. The green-white creature wrapped its wing around the silver-white one and the two began to morph together. And suddenly the scene shifted.

The creatures were gone and she saw thin, silver-blue, flickering, ghost like images standing in a half ring before her brother, who was debating with them.

"Attached a Jedi should not be. Attachment leads to jealousy. Shadow of greed that is." Leia guessed that this was Yoda, the Jedi Master whose house they were standing on.

"But this was your house!" Luke protested, and Leia sensed the hippogriff toss its head in indignation.

"Need it do I?" The little blue ghost barked back. "At one with the Force I am. Home I am. Attached I am not. Attached you should not be!"

"Listen to him, Luke," another of the blue specters called out. Leia almost gasped: her father was standing before them, but not as the black-masked monster that she had fought for so long. This was Anakin as he truly is, and she smiled. "Attachment is what drove me to the Dark Side. Materialism is flawed and will lead only to ruin."

"It's just that…this was home to me," Luke said, sadness creeping into his voice.

"Home is where you find peace," a third ghost said, Leia recognized him as Obi-Wan Kenobi almost instantly. "And I believe you can find that anywhere if you center yourself in the Force."

"Don't give into anger, Luke." A third ghost (Leia didn't have a clue to his identity, but Luke seemed to recognize him) stepped forward and placed his hand on Luke's shoulder. "This is your season of testing. Do not fail it."

DXVJKE

Han kind of recognized Luke's trance, and he couldn't really recognize Leia's, but one thing was for sure: he could definitely recognize when they were coming out of it. Luke blinked and began to look around the clearing with less of the shell shock that had marked his face before and more of a kind of resignation to the fact that it had happened and there wasn't much he could do. Leia, however, almost fell when she "woke up", and Han jerked his arm out to catch her. She smiled up at him and then reached over to touch her brother.

"Luke?" He turned and smiled at his sister and simply nodded. Leia smiled back at him; sure that he was going to be okay now. Apparently the debate she had come in on was resolved: Luke wasn't going to go ballistic.

"You two okay?" Indy asked cautiously.

"Fine," Leia answered. She looked around the ruins of Yoda's house. "What happened here?"

"No clue," Han answered simply.

"Let's see if the next clue is still intact," Indy said, striding forward to the ruins.

"No point," Luke said very quietly. Indy turned.

"What do you mean?"

"At each of the other hiding places, I could sense a specific concentration of the Force surrounding the clues. There isn't that concentration here."

"You mean the clue isn't here?" Indy asked, almost angrily.

"It feels that way." Han had been looking around the ruins during this little dialogue, and he now turned back.

"He's right, look." The others joined him at the exact center of the "house". There was a three-foot wide cylinder of granite, like they had found at Katra's grave, poking up from a divot in the dirt with a long and thin slot in the center. "Something once went here and it isn't here anymore." Indy knelt in the mud to examine the cylinder, and then the ground around it, looking for any trace of anything that might have been left. This may have been a decoy, a plot to make them look elsewhere. Ten minutes of searching passed with the same result. Nothing.

"Could Carron have gotten here first?" Leia asked.

"I don't sense any trace of the Dark Side," Luke answered. He was about to say something more when Han let out a low whistle. The three of them left their wanderings to join the pirate. Han was standing at the one wall of Yoda's house that was still upright. At the foot of the wall was a black piece of silk with white marks on it, but Han was staring at a strange black mark on the wall itself. It looked like a small bird with wings half bent in flight with a black circle painted around it.

"I know who did this," he said simply, as Leia knelt to pick up the black cloth. She lifted it to reveal a symbol that made Indy almost do a double take. On the black background was a white human skull with two white bars crossed beneath it.

"Pirates?" Indy asked with incredulity. "You're saying that _pirates_ took the next clue?"

"Not just any pirate," Han sighed, "One of the worst." He pointed to the black bird: "We need to go find Captain Jack Swallow."

DXVJKE

Yes. _Captain_. _Jack_. _**Swallow**_. whom you shall find out more about in the next chapter. Now ALL OF YOU!!! I want you to go give me reviews and then see Pirates III. because Jack is Back! WHOOHOOO!!!!! and that is all. REVIEW PEOPLE!!! the next chapter will be up when i feel like it. sometime. when people start bugging me. maybe. but look for Captain Jack and go see the movie!!! Later,  
DarkX


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: all characters you recognize are property of George Lucas and Stephen Speilburg. Captain Jack Swallow, his crew, and his ship, though they look like they belong in some other movie (coughPOTCcough), are, in fact, MINE ALL MINE!!! You no touchie!

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:

**Han-Skywalker**: Thanks for the review! And for the nagging. And thanks for expressing to me how much fun this story is for you. I hope you're having a good summer and do stick around.  
**HopelessRomantic45**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Thanks so much for joining the gang. Glad you like my stories and I hope you stick around for the end…whenever that comes…  
**Ilikedan:** Well, that's because POTC is quite hysterical and besides, why does Han get to be the only pirate in this story? And, FYI, I've been planning to bring a Jack-like character into this mess since day one. Thanks for the review!  
**Immortalalchemist**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!!!! Thanks for reviewing and yes, a little bit of crossing over but not much. Jack's not going to be here for long.  
**Jedi X-Man**: ARE YOU OUT THERE SOMEWHERE??  
**Liktra:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! The riddles are my absolute favorite part to write. I try to keep Indy and Han separate just so I don't get confused, but having them look the same has and will be a plot device for future chapters. YOU ARE A STARGATE FAN TOO???!?!!!!???!!! (does happy dance) yes, I did model the red snake after the Goa'uld and the hippogriff is a teensy bit like Buckbeak, but different. Yeah, Carron is supposed to be like the dead stuff vultures eat. I wanted him to be ridiculously disgusting and evil. I changed Jack's name for a plot device (you'll be seeing a lot of those). I LOVE Halo. It is one of the few games that I beat and then come back to beat again and again and again. The flood are soooooo much fun to blow apart with a shotgun. Though I wish I had Halo 2 so I can get the Hunter's RPGL's….urg. As for Stargate…Jack is my absolute favorite character. I could not STAND Daniel the first few seasons but by season 4 he was okay and by the end of season 6 he was pretty freaking sweet. And yeah, it sucks that they took the show off (the final episode was pathetic! But that's a rant for another post). Anywho, thanks for reviewing and do stick around!  
**Miarath**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Thanks so much for voicing your thoughts about my story and do stick around!**Obi's Second Cousin:** YAY FOR YOU!!! HAVE SOME COOKIES!!! (throws cookies) The reason I chose a hippogriff for Luke and the griffin for Leia is because those creatures match the characters (and being both creatures stemming from the griffin, they are related). Luke is a hippogriff because I see him as far gentler than a griffin would be and yes, a little impossible too. Farm-boys becoming Jedi is a bit of a statistical conundrum so the "horse and griffin" thing goes well with Luke. Leia is the griffin because she is more royal, more majestic, and far more of a fighter than Luke is. Luke has to be pushed hard to fight; Leia would fight at the drop of a hat. As for Jack…don't judge too harshly just yet. Thanks for the review, and do stick around.  
**Piper xox Leo**: Thanks so much! I love the four of them too. Thanks for the review!  
**RavenRulzRF**: Well….in a way…………yes. Thanks for the review!  
**Senator Elizabeth Organa**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!!! Okay…questions…the fourth ghost is that of Corban Beth Shiloh, who originally found the Lost Valley of the Jedi. Luke first meets him on Tatooine when they're going to rescue Indy from Carron. Leia doesn't recognize Corban because she has never met/seen/spoken with him before. Chewie is the tiger, the wolves are Indy (blue) and Han (green), Luke is the hippogriff and Leia is the griffin. I am a strong HanXLeia shipper so yes, they do like each other, though their romance is a little stormy…Yes Jack is like Jack but not entirely. And putting Lando in is a good idea (files idea away for future reference…) Thanks for the Review and do stick around!  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: Jack Swallow is NOT from Epic Movie (I've never even seen that…). He is shamelessly ripped off from the POTC movies. I just changed his name because this way if my Jack isn't like the movie's Jack I can't be blamed because my Jack isn't Jack Sparrow but Jack Swallow…get it? Thanks for the review!  
**Telpy the Mouse**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWERS!!! Yes you should be worried. And yes, it should be entertaining. And thanks so much for reviewing, do stick around!  
**Twisterblake**: Thanks for reviewing!

**AN: READ PLEASE!!! Okay, yes, I brought in a parody of a POTC character. I'm getting mixed feelings over him so let me do a little bit of explaining. First, I've been planning to bring Jack in since day one. Second, yes, he is modeled after the Black Pearl's captain, but I may end up changing him to fit my own ideals. Third, he's only going to be around for, at most, four chapters, probably two, so if you don't like him, you will only have to stomach him for a little while. Fourth, I happen to LIKE pirates and see no reason why Han should get all the fun. Fifth, Jack is hysterical and this story needs a little comic relief at this point what with the Sith, the ARCS, the Jägenkov, the end of the world schtick, Indy almost dying, and the fact that destroying the hyperdrive every other chapter gets old fast. THEREFORE: we have Jack. I think that most of you will like him and as for everyone else: This is **MY  story and as I  am the writer and therefore OMNIPOTENT Jack is now a character. So. I will now shut up and get on with it. 

Chapter 30  
It's CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN Jack Swallow!

The Outer Rim had been the haven of those who did not like authority every since sentient life began to populate the sparse planets found in those systems. The Old Republic, Trade Federation, Galactic Empire, New Republic, no one ever tried to control the Outer Rim worlds. In name alone were they part of any galactic ruling system. But each planet had its own government, and most of them were based around piracy. At one point, Iaco Stark had taken absolute control over all the Rim worlds, but when he panicked and plunged the Old Republic into the first war it had seen in generations, he lost his hold and his 'empire' splintered.

The Desilijic clan of the Hutts, from whence Jabba emanated, was the only other group who had ever taken control over more than one planet. Their smuggling ring gave them power over some eighteen systems and countless pirates, smugglers, runners, gunners, thugs, and wannabes came under their employment. The only other major force was the Besadii family, a rival of Jabba's house, who were beginning to take over major chunks of the Desilijic operation now that the effects of Leia's actions on Tatooine had splintered the once powerful smuggling ring.

But beyond these two families, and the countless toadies who served them, the Rim worlds were pirate territory. The various pirate captains each took a system as their 'indisputable' kingdom, with no one coming into anyone else's territory, that they would fight over endlessly to gain a few more lightyears of space. This resulted in huge losses of life, limb, resources, time, energy, and the Hutt clans moving in to mop up. There was only one captain who was smart enough to not follow this pattern.

The Captain did not have one single planet to his name, though it was rumored that he had several moons where he stashed his treasure, but no one was certain. What he did have was a hell of a ship, a hell of a lot of rum, and a hell of a reputation that protected him and everything that was his.

The Paler Black was a quarter of the size of an Imperial battle cruiser and as fast as the Falcon. She was painted black from stem to stern, equipped with cloaking technology (no one knew how for it was far too small to have one), housed massive cannons and lasers strong enough to slice through shielding like a lightsaber through satin. The crew was loyal to death, partly because they were paid a rumored eight times the normal pay for a pirate in this sector, partly because most of the gin-joints practically threw booze at them simply because they served beneath the Black's flag. Each man was personally picked by the Captain and he kept his men to a minimum, thus increasing their profits, mostly by scaring them off his ship. It became rumored that you had to be as insane as the captain to survive on the Black, or at least pretend to be, if you were going to last long enough to get your first paycheck.

The rum was what most of them spent their money on. Apparently the Captain had an idea once that drunk pirates were better at what they did than sober pirates. Thus, blood alcohol levels had to be at record high levels, just low enough to keep them from either puking or blacking out or dying. Most of the pirates were quite happy with this (in truth they would be quite happy if you shot them several times, being so stinkingly drunk) and eventually reached the point where it felt better to be intoxicated. A large percentage of profits were spent on keeping the rum flowing, and thus, the pirates were kept happy.

His reputation kept them safe. The Paler Black could go anywhere in the Outer Rim with absolute impunity. None of the other pirates wanted anything to do with the captain of the Black. Several rumors surrounded him. Some said he was a Dark Jedi from the Old Republic and was able to drive men mad with the Force. Others that he was a demon straight out of hell who had been sent to prepare the Galaxy for the coming Kingdom of Darkness. A few swore that he had once been a flunky on some ship, got shot and died but was his psyche was so twisted that hell itself spat him back up. Still others said he was just some egotistical megalomaniac with godlike delusions of grandeur who had consumed entirely too much alcohol, but these people never got bought drinks by eager listeners.

He was a legend that everyone knew about but no one really knew. He was the one and only, Captain Jack Swallow.

DXVJKE

"Swallow? As in what you do with chewed up food or is he more like a small brown two ounce bird?" Indy had riveted his stare from the black swatch of cloth in Leia's hands to Han's impassive face. Since hearing the name of the dreaded adversary who had destroyed Yoda's house, Indy had the insuppressible urge to laugh.

"Yeah," Han said absentmindedly, note even hearing the question until he turned and saw the archeologist. "This isn't funny, Indy, this guy's dangerous!"

"How can ANYone be dangerous with a name like Jack Swallow?"

"It's Captain, Captain Jack Swallow, and you have no idea. The guy is absolutely whacked out of his mind. He has no fear, no qualms, no morals, and no sobriety."

"You mean he's drunk?" Leia asked, unceremoniously dropping the black flag.

"All the time," Han sighed. "And that just adds to his insanity."

"But how can anyone be good at what they do if they're both drunk AND crazy?" Indy queried. Han shook his head.

"I don't know. But he does it."

"And you're sure that he did this?" Luke asked quietly.

"That's his mark," Han replied, pointing to the circled bird. "Jack leaves it whenever he gets something he wants."

"You mean our next clue?" Han nodded in reply.

"So, then we need to find him if we're going to get the next piece."

"Yeah."

Luke simply turned and began walking back towards the Falcon.

DXVJKE

Indy caught up to Leia as the gang stomped after Luke. The archeologist had lingered to get a sketch of Swallow's mark, and also to scoop up the flag that Leia had left. The absurdity of it all was too potent for him alone to carry. But Luke was still trying to collect his feelings, and thus was Mr. Stone-Faced; Han had grown up with the legends of Swallow and the Paler Black, and wasn't about to laugh at anything just yet; and Chewbacca was still incomprehensible to him. This left Leia as Indy's only chance to alleviate himself of the hysterics of this situation.

"Don't you think that everyone's just a little too worked up about this whole thing?" he said, falling into step with her.

"What do you mean?"

"Just that, Han's acting like it's the end of the world or something, you haven't been your strong-willed self, and I haven't seen Luke smile in weeks. Now, we get crossed by a drunk pirate named Jack Swallow and I'm the only one laughing. What is up with you people?" Leia stopped short and glared at him before replying.

"What's UP with us? How about the fact that we have a Sith lord trying to murder us? Or that Luke has been struggling to control his anger since we left the caves on Soduka and now the only place he's considered home since leaving Tatooine got blown to pieces? Or maybe it's that now we have to go tramping halfway across the galaxy to face a living legend who may or may not shoot us if we blink the wrong way?" Leia's eyes began to brim with tears as all the fear and anger she had kept a choke hold on for so long worked its way forward. "Or maybe it's the fact that you got shot, Indy. You nearly bled to death and there was nothing I c…nothing we could do about it. We came this close to losing you and now you're walking into another deadly situation and treating the whole thing as a joke. Or maybe we ARE getting worked up about nothing and—" Leia looked away, biting the tears back down. Indy reached gently out and took her by the shoulders.

"Leia. Leia. I'm sorry. I—I didn't think you would get…hurt this bad. I…" He sighed. _I'm no good at this. What the hell am I doing, trying to comfort her? Han should be doing this but…_ Indy reached into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief. "Here, wipe your face." Leia looked at the white piece of cloth and back up to Indy. "Don't worry, it's clean," he said with half a smile.

"I'm sorry, Indy. I shouldn't have blown up at you like that." Indy grinned roguishly.

"Naah. I deserved it. Besides, it proves that you're still in there somewhere." She handed back the handkerchief. "Keep it. You'll probably need it more than I will." He looked up the trail and sighed. "Come on, we'd better catch up with the others."

DXVJKE

Much to Han's relief, the Falcon was still solidly planted on the ground (and not halfway beneath the swamp), still contained the droids, and still revved up when he began the take-off sequence. They left Dagobah a few moments later moving towards the Outer Rim worlds to find one pirate captain of dubious origins.

"What I would like to know is how he found it," Indy commented to no one in particular as he paced back and forth in the living area.

"I was more curious as to why he'd take it," Leia said in return. "I mean, what would a pirate want with a piece of rock with some scratch marks on it?"

"Who knows?" Indy sighed, still pacing. "Maybe he likes old rocks?" he paused. "No, that sounds stupid. He must have found out about the Valley."

"Then how did he get there before we did without going to any of the other sites and without any of the other clues?"

"And that's the sixty four dollar question."

"Huh?"

"Sorry, Earth saying." Indy flopped into a chair and glared at the pile of dirty black cloth sitting on the table near his bag. "What are the odds that we'd come across a bunch of pirates who flew the Jolly Roger?"

"Who's Jolly Roger?"

"Not who, what. It's the term given to that particular style of flag. The skull and crossbones is instantly recognizable on Earth, dates some two hundred and thirty years. But I never thought that it would be a universal thing."

"Its not." Han stomped into the common room. "That flag is peculiar to Swallow alone. He's the only person who uses a black flag with a human skull on it. He's kind of famous for it, actually."

"Why?"

"Because it's a human skull. Swallow's out on the Outer Rim worlds where humans are particularly scarce. When he was new out there, the rumor was that he was dead and skull was supposed to be his real one. As long as the flag flew, he was allowed to live, but the second the black flag fell to another captain, Swallow would return to the afterlife."

"And I'm guessing that's not the case anymore?"

"Oh, no. It's still a pretty strong rumor. In fact it's stronger because, ever since then, Swallow's never lost to anyone. The rumor's changed a little though. The flag isn't the means to send Swallow out of this life but the proof that he can't. People now say that he made a deal with Hell for immortality and the flag is the contract."

"That's pretty ridiculous, Han," Leia said.

"Yeah, well…you live on the Outer Rim in pirate territory for a while and you'll come to believe a lot of stories. Especially the ones about Captain Jack."

"How long before we'll get there?" Indy asked.

"'Bout two or three hours. It's a pretty straight shot from Dagobah to the Rim. The hard part will be finding Swallow."

"Why?"

"Cause he doesn't have a markable territory. You never know just where to find him, and in order to find him, we'll have to hunt through a hell of a lot of space, which is crawling with other pirates."

"Sound's peachy," Leia gnarled.

DXVJKE

"Cap'n on the bridge!" The voice cracked the working silence of the bridge crew. The stocky, slightly balding, human who served as first mate aboard the Paler Black quickly vacated his current position of sitting in the Captain's seat. He turned and watched the feared, and, as usual, slightly tipsy, Jack Swallow saunter towards.

"'Ow goes the watch, Mr. Dibbs?" The Mate garnered a brief smile.

"Quiet, sair, reel quiet. 'Aven't cum across a blasted thing awl night."

"Obviously, or ya would 'ave beat to gener'l quarters," Swallow paused and looked sideways at Dibbs. "Ya would'ave beat to quarters, wouldn't ya?"

"O'course, Cap'n," Dibbs replied quickly, not wanting to irk the pirate first thing in the morning.

"Right. Good. Carry on." Swallow slid around the now relieved Mate and plunked down in the chair.

"Aye, Cap'n." Dibbs took his secondary position by the helm to keep an eye on the lower decks. The interior of the Black was decidedly different than most vessels of her size. Rather than having the bridge at the top and front of the ship, Swallow sat at the rear, in an elevated, swooped up, position.

Ranging down the exact middle of the ship were the engineering crews, who worked in three groups, to keep the Black flying. Each group, called a sail, had a sail captain and each captain had a specific engine that he worked on. The engines were located in one line down the middle, channeling the ever-building energy back out the thrusters at the rear of the Black. The Foresail crew worked on the first, smaller engine, at the front of the vessel and was also responsible for maintenance of all the Black's equipment. The Mizzensail worked on the last engine, directly beneath the bridge, and maintained the thrusters. The Mainsail, however, had the hardest job: not only were they responsible for their particular engine, but, since they were in the middle of the ship, they also had to control the energy conduits that ran from the engines to the gunnery crews. In the midst of a firefight, if the Mainsail failed to do their job correctly, the entire ship would be lost. Thus, this sail was twice the size of the other two and was supervised by Mr. Linen, who, though he had no tongue, was still the most experienced pirate onboard. No one really knew how Mr. Linen lost his tongue or how he had trained his pearrit (a small green winged lizard) talk for him or why they should obey a trained pearrit's commands. But Jack Swallow trusted him and anyone who Jack Swallow trusted was to be obeyed without question.

On the port and starboard sides of the engine line were the gunnery crews. The port crew was under the command of Midshipman Letnip, a short-tempered, quick fire, swarthy little man who didn't like taking orders from most people, excepting Cap'n Jack and Mr. Dibbs. His counterpart, who commanded the starboard gunnery was Midshipman Ittegar, the wooden-eyed man with such amazing depth perception some said that he was under the same curse as Cap'n Jack.

The forecastle, at the very front of the ship, contained the Lookout crew, who were responsible for…well…looking out for other ships: whether enemies or prizes. The forecastle was run primarily by Mr. Candun, the second mate, and was on the same level as the bridge. Overarching the open deck was a clear hull that created a kind of bubble around the top of the ship. From the inside, anyone standing on deck could see the deep majesty of the stars, along with any hostiles hiding out there. From the outside though, no one could see in, for the hull appeared black. Over all, from stem to stern, the Paler Black appeared to be one large bullet with thrusters on one end and guns on the other.

"_Cap'n!"_ Jack jerked out of his chair as the call from the forecastle rang out across the bridge. He slammed the small communications hub by his chair and addressed the electronic voice of Candun.  
"Yes, yes, go ahead."

"_Sir, cumm'n' 'cross a ship off t' starbrd bow, sir." _

"Show me." A holovid of the starboard bow appeared at the top of the bridge, just beyond the helm. Tracing across the stars was a small grey vessel, tacking towards them.

"_I s'pect them to be 'eer in 'bout twelve parzecs, sir."_

"Thank you, Mr. Candun. Mr. Dibbs," the Mate stood from his post at his name, "Beat t' gener'l quarters, please."

"Aye, Cap'n," He slammed his fist on a reddish colored button, causing a klaxon to explode across the ship below. Sail crews, gunnery crews, and fighting crews burst from the lower holds, double and triple manning the stations, hurrying up to wait for orders.

"Mariana, if ya would," Jack said, nodding to the young woman at the helm.

"Aye, Cap'n," she barked, twisting the Black deftly towards the small prize. "Looks like she's cummin' straight to us," Mariana's brow furrowed. "Why the 'ell would they be doin' that?"

"Death wish, maybe?" Dibbs spoke up.

"Doesn't matter. They're cummin', which means we're takin'. Savvy?"

"Aye, Cap'n," they both said in unison.

"_Cap'n,"_ Candun called up from the forecastle.

"What now?" Jack barked back into the com unit.

"_Prize'z 'ailin' sir." _

"'ailin'? 'Ailin' us?"

"_Aye, sir."_

"Put'er thru." The com unit switched from the forecastle to the prize.

"_This is Captain Han Solo of the Millennium Falcon. I'm trying to reach Captain Jack Swallow of the Paler Black."_

"Really, mate, well'en. Yor in luck. Ya just found 'im."

"………………_."_ The silence on the other end droned on until Jack looked confusedly over at Dibbs. The first mate shrugged and was about to ask Candun if there was something wrong with the communications systems when sound came back on.

"_Um…right…okay…request permission to come aboard by right of parley."_ Jack started back from the unit.

"Why?"

"_We need to talk with you."_

"An' why would I let someone I dunno onta me ship?"

"_Be—Because…you're captain Jack Swallow!"_

"Why yes. Yes I am."

"_So, it's not like we're going to be any kind of threat to you. You guys out gun and out man us ten to one. We just want to talk, one pirate to another."_ Jack touched the mute button and looked wildly up at Dibbs.

"'E's a pirate?" Dibbs ran a quick search through the computer before replying.

"Aye, sair. Captain Han Solo 'as been accused of smugglin' and piracy charges eighteen times by the empire. Never convicted though. 'E also supposed to 'ave made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs."

"Hmmm…" Jack turned the com back on. "Captain Solo, ya got yorself a deal. We'll parlay wit ya. But any funny business and I'll blow yor pretty ship to hellsgates, savvy?"

"_Got it. Falcon out."_

DXVJKE

The docking procedure was nearly over and the churning feeling in the pit of Han's stomach had only begun. _What the HELL am I DOING? I can't just waltz onto the Paler Black with the Falcon unmanned…_ Chewie had agreed to stay behind and guard the ship, which, though it put Han at ease about the Falcon, made that spot between his shoulderblades itch. The last time he had gone somewhere without Chewie was on that moon near Isosis. And that ended with ARC Troopers, losing Indy, Tatooine, meeting that Sith lord, and twitchy shoulderblades. What was going to happen this time?

Still, it wasn't like Chewie could come. He needed someone to guard the Falcon (who better than the Wookie to run backup if something went south here?) and Chewie's presence amongst a bunch of pirates with itchy trigger fingers definitely send things south. And it wasn't like he could stay: he had already told Swallow that he, Leia, Luke, and Indy would be coming. So he was stuck with itchy shoulderblades.

The computer sounded that the docking sequence was complete. Han looked over at the other three. Luke was his stoic self, lightsaber concealed in the folds of a brownish colored cloak. Leia had her hair pulled up and back from her face and smile confidence at him. She was in her element as the diplomat going to talk things over; but Han was worried. Pirates weren't like other people, they didn't relate well with words. Indy was calmly loading bullets into his revolver. He snapped the rounds in, eyes locked on Han. The two men calmly took their positions in the little group and Han touched the control panel for the bay doors.

Grey metal slowly pulled back to reveal some half score of heavily armed pirates. One, a giant of a man with huge paws for hands, stepped forward.

"Cap'n Solo? I'm Candun, sekkon mate of t' Paler Black. Cap'n Swallow axed me to exkort hew an' hewr…" he looked over at Leia "Men…to t' bridge. 'Is way." Candun stomped off down the corridor; the other pirates parting to let him pass. Han followed with Luke and Leia walking directly behind him and Indy bringing up the rear. The docking was off to the starboard-aft side of the Black, so it was a quick climb up to the bridge.

Han stepped onto the bridge and almost let out a whistle. He had never seen such an open ship and the view was stunning. Stars lit up the upper canopy of the hull, giving a soft silvery glow to the deck below. The forecastle at the far end of the ship seemed so incredibly far away and yet so close at the same time. It was…it was one of the most interesting and beautiful ship designs that he had ever laid eyes on.

Indy's reaction was almost the same as Han's, but for a different reason. He was shocked at the similarities between the Black and an old Earth sailing ship. The raised forecastle, the low slung midship, the high sitting quarterdeck: excepting the engines, clear hull, and lack of masts, this was a 18th century frigate. Indy ran his eyes over as much of the vessel as he could see, which only confirmed his old suspicions. This Swallow was looking less like a space pirate and more like something out of Treasure Island. He kept expecting Emanuel Wynne or Edward Teach or Jack Rackham to come sailing into view off the port bow, sails unfurled and ready to fight.

But this was nothing compared to his reaction on seeing what he could only assume was the Captain of this strange vessel. Before him stood a man with black hair hanging in long, beaded dreadlocks. His face was decidedly unkempt: scraggly beard, dirty heavily tanned skin, dark brown eyes stood out of black rings around his eyelids. He was clothed in a ragged white shirt, brown leather pants, heavy black boots, dark olive-grey sailor's trench coat, and a brown, ragged, three-cornered, leather hat. He stood slightly off balance, heavily on the heel of his right leg, head tipped up so that he was staring down the end of his nose at them. If nothing else on this ship screamed late 1700's, this man did. His entire demeanor, appearance, surroundings, and stance was that of a pirate.

"I'm Captain Jack Swallow an' welcome to the Paler Black." The pirate spread his hands and swaggered forward towards the party. Han snapped out of his amazement at the ship and assumed the guise of a no-nonsense pirate.

"I'm Captain Han Solo, and this is Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Indiana Jones." Swallow's eyes flashed around, smiled quickly at Leia, and then locked onto Han.

"Solo? Solo…that name rings a bell…" Swallow's eyes darted back and forth, like they were watching a fly only he could see. He stared long and hard at the Falcon's Captain. "Wait! Didn't ya make the Kessel run in unner twelve parsecs? Yeah…that's it. Ruddy good flyin' there, mate. So. Cum to join me crew? Cause if so, I'll have to disappoint ya. Already got meself a pilot…though I could use ya on second shift…but on the other hand—"

"Captain Swallow!" Indy spoke up for the first time. Jack and Han's heads simultaneously snapped towards the archeologist and stared. Han because Indy was not a pirate captain, did not call parley, and could now get them killed for breaking the rules. Jack stared because the man who was standing at the back of the little group had a most amazing hat… The black rimmed eyes then darted back to Han then to Indy, shifting over and over again from Han to Indy to Han to Indy to Leia to Han to Indy then firmly setting on Leia.

"Tell me luv, do you see two o' these…gen'lmen or have I not had nearly enough rum?" Leia glared disgustedly at him, giving Indy time to jump back into the conversation.

"Captain Swallow, we're here to ask a question."

"Question! Right!…who are you, mate?"

"Indiana Jones and—"

"Jones! Yes, well, Mr. Jones—"

"Doctor."

"Scuse me?"

"I'm a doctor. My title is Doctor, not mister." Jack seemed frozen for a moment before replying.

"Doctor. Doctor Jones. Questions, well, then you see…questions put forward by a questioner require that the questioned actually answer said questioner's questions. But in order to do that, the questioned must become an answerer, which, in an overtly metaphysical sense means the questioned ceases to exist so that his space can be taken by the answerer, an' seeming how I have no desire for my existin' to cease I shall have to deny your request to question, savvy?" Dibbs, Mariana, Candun and the other pirates on the bridge looked on in smug satisfaction as Han, Leia, and Luke tried to decipher exactly what it was that Swallow had just said. Indy merely blinked and replied.

"But if the questioned becomes the answerer then the questioner must also switch into the answered, which means that the doubled change in the state of the two separate individuals creates a set of perfectly balanced ripples through the ongoing state of flux, which will cancel out each other meaning nothing ceases to exist. Thus, in an overtly metaphysical sense, your objection is a load of Bantha-drek and your denial has no grounds." Swallow immediately moved to object Indy's objection before freezing in the middle of his opening word. The only sound that came out of the pirate's mouth was a "Tha—" followed by a long silence in which Dibbs, et al. reached nervously for their guns. After what seemed like an eternity (but was only thirty seconds) Swallow's face broke out of its frozen state.

"Do ya realize yor the only man alive who's ever dun that?" Indy's eyebrows raised.

"Is that supposed to be some kind of honor?"

"Why yes, yes I think it is," Jack said with a very dangerous smile.

"And most honor has rewards attached with it," Indy pressed.

"Usually, usually."

"Then as my reward, I want you to answer my questions with the absolute truth." A collective gasp rose from the Black's side of the room. No one had ever shown such audacity in front of the great Jack Swallow before and all the pirates began to mentally calculate how long it would take to clean the blood off the hull above them. But Swallow broke into these unpleasant musings in a very strange way. He began to laugh. Really laugh. For a full minute Captain Jack Swallow was doubled over with an intense shaking laughter. When he could finally breathe again, the pirate clapped his hand on Indy's shoulder.

"Do…do ya…like rum, doctor Jones?"

DXVJKE

Yes. There is rum on board. and pirates. and more pirates. and that means that we shall have loads of drunken piracy, underhanded dealings, swashbuckling, insanity, gambling, and other fun things in the next chapter. which may not be for a while. I'm going through another round of revamping on this story and i've started writing another one (called Crimson 11, a Star Trek TOS fanfic which i am now shamelessly plugging for) which i will spend a great deal of time on. So. now that all that is said and done, do post a review and tell me how you like the Black's captain and crew. Just please no cussing and flames shall be met with ghost Jedi and loss of cookie privelages. Later,  
DarkX

PS: Any one who has not seen Brad Bird's movie Ratatouille needs to leave their computers, go to the nearest movie house, plunk down some money and spend two hours of qualiaty time with Pixar rodents and animated food. I'm dead serious, this is one of the best movies i have seen in a very, very, very, VERY long time. Bird's craftmanship of this film certainly measures up to his previous masterpieces of The Iron Giant and The Incredibles. GO SEE IT NOW PEOPLE!! or I'm sicking Han and Indy on you. But please, have the decency to review first...


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: all characters you recognize are property of George Lucas and Stephen Speilburg. Captain Jack Swallow, his crew, his ship, the Jägenkov, Nyeri, and Malchiel are MINE ALL MINE!!! You no touchie!

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:  
**Han-Skywalker**: Thanks for the review, dude. Uh…Leia's action? No clue, could you be a little more specific? Your strange head sounds like a great place to be. Sobriety is so overrated… Han's shoulderblades, well…I got that from a fanfic called "Elementary, My Dear Obi-Wan" by Frostyre7 (which you should SO read), which is a crossover of Sherlock Holmes and StarWars (excellently written). Anyway, there's this one scene where Holmes is in a dangerous situation and he gets this itch between his shoulderblades warning him that bad things are about to happen. I figured that Han gets into enough scrapes that he merits twitchy shoulderblades as well… again, thanks for the review and do keep it up!  
**Ilikedan:** Thanks for the review. Pirate speak makes it more authentic (having pirates speaking the King's English would be way weird) and though it IS hard to read on paper, it is way fun to read out loud. I tried to give them distinct accents, which was bloody hard, let me tell you. But I'm glad you enjoyed it.  
**Jedi X-Man**: YAY! You're alive! Was worried about you for a bit. Thanks for the update and the review.  
**Jonny#5:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Indy's hat will play a major part in the upcoming chapters, don't worry. Thanks for the review and I hope you stick around!  
**Obi's Second Cousin:** Thanks for the review. To go over your comments: thanks I try. Stargate was excellent up until the end of season 7 and then they took Jack off the team and the rest of the series just stank…urg. I haven't seen POTC3 either (mostly because I'm a poor student with no money…) so you're in good company. Yes, rum. Glad to know you go with the little-know origins of Swallow. I think he would be classified as European because he actually does migrate (YAY for Python fans!!!). The crew rocks. Hats rock. Logic rocks. You rock too dude. Thanks for the review.  
**RavenRulzRF**: Thanks for the review!  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: Thanks for the review…ah…how Han found it so fast…well…I have no idea. At all. Basically, it was because I was entirely too lazy to have them fight pirates and just wanted them to find Jack et al so…yeah…this is a major plot bunny and…I will leave it up to the readers to think that out on their own…ahem…Thanks for the review, dude.  
**Twisterblake**: Thanks for the review!

Chapter 31  
Seven Deadly Sins

"_The Way of the Masck is by no means easy. Because your path is not carved out by any other creature, you are forced to find it on your own. But this is a very tricky situation, for then the Way may be used to justify all manner of actions which are destructive at best, abominations at worst. It is therefore necessary to set down guidelines for the path; signposts, as it were, to test and lead you so that you may adhere to the Way. Careful and frequent reflection then becomes a lifeline for it allows you to see past the outer trappings of life and discover the secret guides. The Book of Malchiel._

Aerik had decided long ago that the best way for Sk'th not to die was that Taivas had to run the strategic self-mutating defense regimen number four at least once a day for the express purpose of making her too tired to slice up the Yilanor. For the first few months of being forced to run what she termed "that male-imposed krething bantha drek waste of my grudding time skag of a zogger", Taivas began to realize that she actually was enjoying the routine. The "Zogger" as it became known (to everyone but Aerik, who stubbornly refused to refer to it by anything but strategic self-mutating defense regimen number four) was a good way to burn off a little steam after a hard day. And she was having one hell of a hard day.

They had been drilling the ARC Troopers, running every conceivable kind of simulation from space battles to hand to hand combat to close range weaponry to air fights to land attacks to spy work and everything else in between, for the last five weeks. All the while under the close supervision of Darth Nyeri and several of his flunkies. KRETH she despised flunkies. Stupid skaggers drawing significance from the actions of another man: it was disgusting to one so dedicated to the Way as she was. Even Sk'th wasn't as low as these pathetic worms; he at least had the decency to attempt to "be his own man" as it were. Still, as much as she hated the drek that worked for Nyeri, she had to admit: the Sith lord had some fun toys.

Taivas slid into the dark room and stretched before bringing her workout to life. The Zogger was this holographic imaging room of first rate technology. It used intense amounts of light-particles in precise combinations to make a believably solid figure. The result was a set of weaponry designed to fight her, block her, hit her, strike, shoot, slash, and make this deliciously pleasant sound when she finally ran her claws through a certain part of it.

Needless to say, she enjoyed destroying the Zogger; she enjoyed the fact that it reacted to her movements and sought out her weaknesses, enjoyed how it would break and fix itself, enjoyed the exhaustion she experienced when she finally beat it, and at times, she almost enjoyed the pain that arched through her body when she failed. Almost. The main reason she enjoyed the Zogger, though, is the fact that everyone left her alone when she went in here. It gave her time to sort, to weigh different factors, to recenter herself on the Way without having Sk'th annoying her or Aerik ordering her about.

Taivas wearily stretched out tired muscles, flexed and tested her reinforced claws, and tied up her auburn hair to keep it out of the way. She touched the control panel and walked to the middle of the room. Boxing would come first for a light muscular workout, followed by tasers for gymnastics, then the crushers for strength and cords for dexterity, and finally there would be blade fighting, which was always the best.

"Computer, begin." Taivas crouched and allowed her mind to slip away from her body. Now was her time to meditate. She would react to each stage automatically and in the freedom of not having to think about the physical, she could focus on the mental.

Nyeri was scared about something and it was seriously bugging her. _Dodge right._ He was a Sith lord for crying out loud, how the kreth could he be scared? _Block. Block. Twist, block._ And more importantly, what could scare him? _Left jab, right hook, feint right, south paw. _Maybe she was analyzing this wrong. Maybe it wasn't fear. _Block, block. Double hook._ But what else could have him scrambling the troops in such an intensified manner? _Pain raced up her right side as Zogger sent out another boxing drone._ Could Nyeri be fighting on two sides? _Twist, dodge, dodge, jab jab jab jab, dodge under, south paw, right hook._ But why would he go from having no enemies to having two? No. That was illogical. _Right fist, one down. Feint left, triple jab, right hook, two down._

Besides they weren't training defensive maneuvers. _Long mechanical arms with electrified cattle prods reached out of the walls, floors, and ceiling._ All the simulations Nyeri was sending them through were more along the lines of a search and rescue than measures against attack. _Backflip, hand stand, half twist to the left._ Okay, so if he was going after someone in a search and rescue…Search and RESCUE??? Since when did Sith rescue ANYone? _Hand spring, summersault, grab one arm, vault off._ No, couldn't be a rescue. But it was rescue like. _Back hand spring, right arch_. All the sims they were running were squadron oriented going into mazes to find certain Troopers set up as bait, etc. _Jump-climb to upper arms, swing around, gain speed, launch off._ Which meant that Nyeri was sending them to find someone or something. _Drop, back summersault, where the kreth is that panel?_ Fine, that made sense. But what was he after, and why was he so urgent about it that he was acting scared? _Run, flip, flip, flip, double flip, got it. _

Strength and speed would be next. Speaking of which, what about Aerik and Sk'th? Were they picking up on the same weird-ness vibe that she was? _Right wall crusher, brace._ What did they think of—UMPH! Skrujj that hurt! _Dig your toes in, almost back to the wall…_ Aerik probably knew, Aerik knew everything. But what if he wasn't saying what was going on? _Click. Got that one. Overhead: brace_. No. That wasn't like Aerik at all. For all the stupid pig-headed machismo that the spike hair had, he would never leave his teammates in the dark, even if ordered. _Thirty seconds more. The top weight was really heavy this time._ But he would take the Jägenkov into any situation Nyeri demanded, even if he had no idea why he was doing it. Kth! Men! _OW! What the…oh…tricky little devil, aren't you? They're coming faster this time. Stupid metal tentacles. _Sk'th would be oblivious to everything, as usual, so there was no use in pondering if he even knew that Nyeri was acting weird. _Flip, dive, block, jump._ So, what was the end result? Nyeri was after something, something big, and he wanted to make sure that the Jägenkov were up to getting whatever he wanted. _Balance, behind, back twist, grab…ugg…I'm gonna be sick. _But if he were testing them, then that meant they were the last possible chance for him to get this thing. _Where's that grudding panel? Chop, drop, kick, half twist._ Which meant that they had some power over him…hmm…isn't that interesting. _HaHA! Yeah, you better run, krething metal worms. Warm-up's over, time for the fun. _If she could find out what it is that they're after…she may be able to get off this cruddy ship…And that would be a most pleasant endeavor.

DXVJKE

"_There are seven general areas I would wish to set forth as the fences that would mark the Way. These are by no means exclusive, but they are helpful. For in keeping from these seven things, you will restrain yourself from either slipping off of your path or pushing someone else off of theirs. These areas are boundaries: to go on the other side of them will result in severe loss." The Book of Malchiel_

_What was taking so long?_ The same thought had been racing through Carron's head for the past three weeks. Once the Jägenkov had arrived at his ship, he had immediately taken them to his base where the majority of the ARC Troopers resided. From there, he sent a message to the vestiges of the Emperor's spy network for word on Jones and his team, and then he waited. And waited. And waited. And dammit what the krething skrujj was taking so grudding long?

Five weeks he'd been waiting for information. Five weeks he'd spent drilling and drilling and drilling his precious Jägenkov to keep them from getting bored and now he was worried. This was taking way too long. What if he had lost them? Could it be possible that they had given them the slip? Jones did have a Jedi with him. But using the Force to screen themselves would be noticeable to Carron, being a Sith lord and all.

No. They must be hiding somewhere. The lone survivor of the botched mission on Corescant had told him that the archeologist was heavily wounded (which sealed the Trooper's death warrant; Carron expressly told them he wanted Jones alive), which means that they must be holed up somewhere waiting for him to heal. _They will come out soon. And when they do, they WILL pay_. When trying to determine exactly HOW Jones got hit, Carron found out that the strap to the archeologist's bag had been severed. He cursed whatever hand of Fate had caused the exact spot where the strap was slit to be the one that contained the tracking device he ordered placed there. That device was what had been giving his ARC's an edge in finding Jones, but now that it was literally shot to pieces, he was forced to rely on the spies.

No tracking device, no reliably information, no trace of their skretting little ship, a half dead archeologist, missing puzzle pieces, and having to pull out his precious Jägenkov were all twisting and boiling in Carron's soul. To say he was unhappy was a gross understatement. He was ready to destructively vent his anger on any being fool enough to cross his path. And that wasn't even the end of his problems.

Aerik was obviously bored. The Herisson was a born leader, a brilliant tactician, and had the mantel of command wrapped securely around his shoulders. Drilling such a warrior was dangerous for it ran the risk of making genius generic or worse: automatically set in one path. Any more time spent running simulations instead of the real thing could severely damage Carron's greatest weapon. Something new had to be devised to keep Aerik engaged.

And still, Carron had something even worse to deal with: Taivas. She was becoming more and more unwieldy. The Macskian had never liked being Jägenkov from the get go. She was far too independent, didn't like being told what to do, and now that the fear of imprisonment by the Empire was gone, there was nothing to really keep her here. Save, of course, the fact that Carron felt singular pleasure emanating from Taivas when she was in the heat of battle. She _liked_ shredding through opponents like tissue paper. So as long as fresh prey was provided, she was satisfied and didn't try to leave his elite hunters. But, five weeks running the same simulations was apparently getting her riled up.

Sk'th and the Z31MR were of no consequence as the Yilanor was always easily bent to the Sith's will and the droid was…well…a droid. But the slow process of finding Jones, the possibility of harming Aerik, and the growing unrest of Taivas were combining to become quite the planet sized headache for Carron. And when Sith get headaches, people usually lose their heads.

What was taking so long?

DXVJKE

"_Sloth, gluttony, and avarice are the first to be addressed, for these are the boundaries that affect self first. They are difficult to uncover if one is already beyond their boundaries, but they are easy to return from. Still, it would be good for the follower of the Way to avoid them all together. The Book of Malchiel_

"You're kidding me. Rum? You guys actually have rum?" Indiana was incredulous, partly because there was a laughing/sobbing pirate that looked like he had just stepped out of the 1800's on his shoulder, partly because he had just been offered the Earth-named liquor by said 1800's pirate, and partly because he hadn't had a stiff drink in over six weeks. Jack jerked his head up, all traces of merriment gone from his scruffy face.

"O'course we do. What self-respectin' pirate would drink anythin' but that finest cane-begot swi—I mean, nectar known as rum? 'Sout of the question to be consumin' anythin' else. Rum or naught, I always say."

"You always say that?" Indy asked.

"Well I…that is…'sfrequentenuffletsgo." Swallow pushed through the small crowd of pirates headed back the way that Indy and the others had come up. Indy's eyebrows raised and he looked over at Han. The Falcon's captain was still a little flabbergasted at the fact that the legendary Captain Jack Swallow had been bested by a projectile-weapon-wielder from a backwater planet who had just gotten out of the hospital not two days previously. The silence that lingered as Swallow left, and no one on the bridge moved, was suddenly cut short by the Black's captain popping his head back on the bridge.

"You blokes movin' or d'ya need an engraved invitation?" Han snapped out of his trance, caught Indy's questioning stare and nodded. The archeologist then turned and followed Swallow with Luke, Han and a still disgusted Leia close behind.

Swallow led them into the Officer's mess room, where stood an oval table, eight chairs, a dozen questionably clean glasses, and ten bottles ranging in size, shape, and shade of brown. Jack flopped into the seat that faced away from the wide windows looking out over the aft of the Black. He waved Indy into the seat on his right, Luke next to Indy, Leia next to her brother, and Han facing Jack. Dibbs, Mariana, and Candun took the other three seats and immediately reached for glasses and bottles.

"Lemme getcha a drink, mate," Swallow said, reaching out for two glasses and a bottle. He practically dumped a large amount of the strong-smelling liquid in a pint-sized glass and pushed it towards Indy. The black rimmed eyes were fixed on Indy as he picked up the glass and downed a rather large gulp. The searing liquid rushed down Indy's throat with an intensity that almost made him choke. But years of trying to out-drink Marion had taught the archeologist one very important rule for drinking: don't breathe for at least ten seconds and you won't choke. As every nerve in his body demanded him to cough, Indy slowly counted back from ten as he set his glass down and returned the pirate's stare.

"Goes down pretty smooth. Taste is kinda weird though. You guys don't water it down, do you?" Swallow's eyes narrowed in something akin to shocked anger, a look which Indy coolly returned.

"Wart'r—ye think we wart'er down our rum?" Dibbs sputtered in disbelief. "Would cause mutiny, that would."

"Ya think this is too weak, Dr. Jones?" Mariana snipped. Indy slowly broke gaze with Jack to look at the helm commander.

"Weak? No. Not by a long shot, just kind of funny tasting. What do you make it out of?"

"Voldicane," Marianna answered, making Han nearly spit his half-swallowed mouthful clear across the table.

"Vol-VOLDICANE?!" He barked. "Voldicane is a lethal nerve toxin and you DRINK it?" Indy looked sharply down at his glass and glanced over at the others. Leia hadn't touched anything and Luke's hand seemed frozen where he had reached for a bottle.

"On'y in's rawr state," Candun rebutted. "We'd awl be dead iffen we drunk it strite." Luke slowly retracted his hand as Leia tried to get the conversation back on track.

"If you don't mind, Captain Swallow—"

"Oh please, I do insist that pretty ladies suches yerself call me Jack." Leia ignored the interruption and continued.

"Would you please answer our questions now?" Jack jerked, sloshing nearly half the contents of his glass on the floor as he did. Looking up from the mess he made he jerked again.

"QUESTIONS! Yes! O'course!" He froze. "What questions?"

"Why were you on Dagobah?" Luke asked quietly. Steel blue eyes locked on black rimmed ones, waiting for an answer.

"Dagobah? Never 'eard of it, mate," Swallow turned to his first mate. "Did we ever go to Dagobah?"

"T' swamp world?" Dibbs screwed up his face, trying to remember. "Nay, Cap'n. Ne'er been there. Nothin' o' value: no gold, no guns, no women, and no rum. Miteaswellbe a krethin' asteroid." The older pirate shrugged. Swallow turned back to Luke.

"Well, there ya ar', mate. An' seemin' 'ow we 'aven't been there, I can't be answerin' yer question."

"That's impossible. We know you were there," Han growled from the other end of the table. Candun jumped up angrily.

"AH HEW CAWLIN' T' CAP'N A LYRE?!"

"We do have evidence that you were there," Leia said, trying to be as diplomatic as possible just to quell her desire to punch the yelling pirate squarely in his ugly nose.

"Evidunce?" Dibbs echoed. "What evidunce?" Indy reached into his bag and, digging out his journal, replied.

"We found this left on a stone wall," he opened the book to show the bird-in-a-circle meticulously copied on the page. "That IS your mark, Captain Swallow?" The pirate leaned over, carefully scrutinized the page and then the face of the man who was holding it.

"We also found your flag," Leia added.

"Prove it!" Candun snapped back. Indy then reached back into his bag and pulled out the long, black, mud stained, cloth and spread it out. The white bones and human skull stared back up at them causing Swallow to lean back.

"Well…that is me flag. An' that is me mark. But we wasn't on the ruddy planet." Candun, still standing menacingly over the table, smirked in smug satisfaction and Han knew that any word to the contrary would bring about an instantaneous firefight, which he wanted to ignore at all costs. He began to flip through the mental Rolodex of possible ways to weasel information out of Swallow when a single statement almost made him fall over.

"He's telling the truth."

DXVJKE

_Ire, invidiousness, and lust are more blatant fences and it is easy to recognize if one has crossed them for these three bring destruction not only to the self but to others around. However, though they are easy to recognize they are very difficult to pull away from, for these three give the illusion of power, which is a strong narcotic to the soul. Again, avoid these. The Book of Malchiel _

"Aerik, we need to talk." The Herisson's spiked head jerked up from the report he was going over to stare at the determined-looking intruder. _Taivas doesn't look happy. I wonder what Sk'th did this time._ Aerik nodded slightly at the empty chair at the other end of his table and sat quietly waiting for Taivas to rant. Only she didn't. Instead of launching into a ear-shattering tirade against whatever the kreth had her mad, the Macskian sat and quietly stared at the center of the dull, grey table for nearly three minutes. This behavior was totally against Taivas's nature and warranted investigative analysis. Several possibilities presented themselves to Aerik as explanations for her behavior.

She could be drugged, which would account for the apparent lack of enthusiasm. However, this was quite out of the question for the only way to drug Taivas was to forcibly inject a foreign substance into her as her advanced senses would detect any poison in the air, food, water, clothes, metal, etc. And Taivas didn't like needles. Anyone fool enough to try and drug her would be quite dead and there would be at least trace evidences of blood on her claws, evidences which Aerik could not detect. This was an errant possibility and should be discarded.

She could be ill, which made even less sense than the drug-theory. Taivas did not get ill. Her natural immune system, which could combat everything from nerve toxin to the common cold, was enhanced to the point that physical illness was a statistical impossibility.

She could be trying to suppress her rage for fear of harming Aerik. But as this was completely against her known behavior of venting her anger at the drop of a hat, he felt confident at discarding this as a solution for her behavior.

Every other theory was merely a variation on the three themes above and the Herisson decided that devoting any more time to this was unprofitable without more information. And, as Taivas's behavior was persisting in not doing anything, Aerik felt confident that broaching conversation with her would be a wise and safe thing to do.

"What do you want to talk about?" Green eyes snapped up off the table and focused on Aerik like she had just recognized his presence.

"Hmm?"

"You said we needed to talk, what is it that you wish to talk about?"

Taivas inhaled slowly before answering: "Why are we here?" Aerik cocked his head.

"I had assumed that you knew the answer to that question."

"What?"

"Well, you always were the more philosophical of our team…" Green eyes flashed and Aerik felt relief. _She's still snippy, that's good…I think._

"I mean, what are we doing on this ship? Why are we running the same simulations over and over and over again? What's Nyeri trying to pull?"

"What makes you think he's pulling anything?"

"Nyeri calls us out of retirement to 'strike when it is ready' or some such nonsense and then has us run search-and-rescue missions for who knows how long and I want to know why."

"What makes you think I have any information?" THAT got her riled.

"Aerik, you're the skragging leader of our team and your telling me that you don't know what's going on? What the kreth does that mean?"

"Nyeri doesn't have to tell me anything, Taivas," Aerik replied with measured calm.

"And so you just blindly trust him and—"

"He saved my life, that deserves a lit—"

"Saved your LIFE? Saved it for what?" Taivas barked over the Herisson's interruption, causing him to listen for a moment. "Why are we here, Aerik? What are we supposed to do?"

"Serve Darth Nyeri," Aerik gave the almost knee-jerk reply.

"Doing what?"

"Taivas, you swore your service to him. You can't just back out just 'cause you're bored."

"Bored? Macskians don't get bored, Aerik. When we run out of things to do we go to war with whoever is closest. So you had better remind the Sith that if I don't get something to do very soon, he IS the closest person." Taivas stood to leave when Aerik arrested.

"Before you go, why exactly did you hesitate for nearly three minutes when you first came in?" Taivas looked carefully at the Herisson before replying.

"To make sure that I had all my data straight." Aerik blinked in surprise, an expression she caught. "What? You think you're the only person who can analyze? I'll see you later." The orange feline glided out the door leaving a very confused man sitting at the table. _Go to war with Nyeri? Is she out of her mind?_

DXVJKE

_Conceit is the last fence, the root of the other six, and the boundary that one must stay the farthest away from. For from this one idea, that the self is better than any and all other beings, comes a host of pain and suffering. To truly find the Way, one must forsake and lose this concept. The good of the many outweighs the good of the one. The Book of Malchiel _

Every eye in the room snapped on Luke. His statement brought utter shock from his friends, who had been certain that Swallow was lying, as well as from the pirates who were shocked anyone would believe Swallow with such absolute certainty when even they didn't. Swallow looked the most shocked of them all, for reasons that no one was sure of as he was, after all, Captain Jack Swallow.

"Whadayamean, mate?" he asked at last.

"Exactly what I said. You are telling the truth. You have never been to Dagobah. We were wrong."

"You sure, kid?" Han's shrewd eyes were locked on the Jedi. Although he never acknowledged the Force, Han was a firm believer in the fact that Luke was special and what he said merited consideration. Luke nodded simply in reply.

"Weight, 'ow duz'ee know?" Candun, still standing, was now looking confusedly from Luke to Swallow to Han to Luke again.

"I sense no deceit in him," Luke answered, nodding towards Swallow.

"Sense?" Mariana echoed, the color slowly draining from her face. "You're a Jedi?" Luke nodded again causing her to burst out: "Cap'n, we need to get'em off ta ship, NOW!"

"Why?" Swallow's face now mirrored Candun's confusion. "What's a…Jud-high?"

"Sorcerers, wizards, mind-readers, tey deal in magic and shouldn be crossed."

Luke shook his head: "I'm not any of…" He trailed off as Dibbs immediately jumped up from the table, quickly wiped his hands on his chest three times, turned around in a circle and spat on the floor. Candun clumsily imitated this strange behavior, which was duly (though amusedly) observed by Indy, as he drained his now refilled glass of rum.

"Magic, eh?" Swallow's black rimmed eyes shot over Luke with an appraising look, as though he were trying to determine whether or not this innocent looking kid really was as powerful as Mariana said.

"The Force is not magic," Luke replied, returning Swallow's stare before shifting to Mariana. "And I'm not any of those things you named."

"But y'are a Jedi," she returned forcefully.

"And that doesn't mean I'm a wizard, sorcerer, or mind-reader."

"Ten 'ow didcha know ta Cap'n was tellin' ta trut'?" Dibbs and Candun, who had been standing as far away from the table as possible, now leaned in slightly to hear Luke's answer.

"I can _sense _the feelings of others, especially when those feelings are strong. I _felt _no deceit in Captain Swallow. That's not the same as reading his mind."

"Ya know what I'm feelin', mate?" Swallow asked.

"Yes," Luke replied simply.

"Then why did ya track me ship down iffen ya already knew me answer?"

"I can't pinpoint one person out of billions from halfway across the galaxy."

"Which is going to make this next part deuce harder," Indy put in.

"Part, mate?" Swallow's eyes shot from the Jedi to the archeologist.

"If you didn't go to Dagobah, who did? And, perhaps more importantly, why would they leave _your _mark and _your _flag behind?" A long silence descended on the group, punctuated by one pirate's remarks:

"Great," Han sighed, "More riddles."

DXVJKE

_It may be said that these seven fences I marked out are entirely too broad for any one person to avoid. That staying away from sloth, gluttony, avarice, ire, invidiousness, lust, and conceit are an impossible task, that these things make the Way too narrow to walk upon, that this is a hard path. To those who raise such objections I offer one sage bit of advice: no one ever said that this was going to be easy. The Book of Malchiel_

"You wanted to see me?" Nyeri turned from the broad and majestic starfield behind him to face the one person in the universe most responsible for causing the anxiety that ruined such a picture.

"Do, come in and sit," he replied to the tall and lithe Macskian leaning up against the doorframe. "No need to stand on ceremony, my dear." Taivas sauntered through the dark room and eased herself onto the arm of one of the chairs. "Aerik told me of the conversation the two of you had a few hours ago."

"Oh?" Her face registered absolutely no emotion at all. _Might as well be trying to read a stone wall_, Nyeri thought with a touch of irritation. "Good, then you should know why I'm quite drekked off at the moment." The Sith's usually dead eyes snapped with a slight wave of irritation.

"Yes, that was brought to my attention." He watched the tip of her tail swish back and forth in short, jerky motions. "I was under the impression that we had a deal, Taivas."

"Deal?" she sneered. "Oh yes, I remember: indentured servitude or imprisonment. Hmm…yes…well, jail time is looking pretty nice right about now."

"You can't just back out now."

"Watch me," She stood and began walking out the door. Nyeri roled his eyes ever so slightly.

"Taivas…Taivas. TAIVAS STOP!" The Macskian froze right at the door and turned slowly, crouching into a feral position.

"You use your force-powers on me, you had better be willing to go the whole way." He could just see the glint of silver claws in the starlight.

"This really isn't necessary," he droned.

"Oh, I think it is. You see, where I come from, if our leaders don't know what they're doing, those who follow have the right to leave and find other leadership." She stood slowly, walking decidedly cat-like towards him.

"Are you calling me incompetent?"

"Well, let's see. I've been here for…eight years now. _Eight _years. And in all that time, I have never been on a mission of any kind beyond baby-sitting your toy soldiers. Now, nearing on six weeks ago, we get a message to come here for some ultra-secret mission and what do I get to do? More baby-sitting. So, yes, I would call that incompetence."

"You are treading on _very _thin ice, miss." She was close enough that he could see himself reflected in her green eyes, but still, he could sense no emotion in her.

"Is that a threat, Mister Carron?" The corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly, amused at herself. He sighed, turned, and walked over to the small table near the window.

"I know you're bored, Taivas. I know you hate being here, you hate working with the others, you hate having to follow orders, and you really hate me. Alright." He picked up a small disk and turned back to her. "I'll make you a deal. Do me this one small favor, and I will consider the debt you owe me paid in full."

"A _small_ favor?" she sneered. "Sounds pretty big to me, if you're willing to let me go for its completion."

"It is only as big as you make it." Nyeri offered the disk. "All the information you need is there. Take whatever ship you want, whatever gear you want, contact me if you want to when you want to, but tell me when it's over and then go wherever you want." The green eyes narrowed.

"What's the catch?"

"No catch. Do this mission and you can leave the Jägenkov." He paused, searching her eyes. "Deal?" Taivas took the disk and nodded.

"Deal."

DXVJKE

HAHAA!!! So, we have Jack with no rock. Luke labled as a wizard. Taivas being way snarky and making shady deals with the Sith. Han is still not happy. Leia isn't talking much. And I'm not giving you any answers because...well...I have no creative juices left. Terms are starting rather soon and I'm going to be WAAAY busy and I'm kind of bored/stuck/not progressing well with this story so...I'm taking a sabbatical for a couple of months. I will eventually update but it's going to be later than my usual six-week installment. I know, I know, I'm pondscum for doing this to you, but it could be worse. I could be leaving you with Leia about to be shot or something...so...yeah...in other news my sister and I have gotten hooked on Lost (yeah I know, three years late, but, eh) and boy is that a weird show. I personally think the entire island is a trans-dimensional portal to another planet where one race of aliens (who are Zen-Buddists) are trying to get people used to the idea of them being good guys so that the aliens can escape to Earth (via the portal) and get away from the evil giant race of aliens who are trying to conquer the universe. The Alien-Zen-Buddists are using Locke as a means to convert people to their way of life so that everyone will be accustomed to their culture when they begin to migrate to earth. My sister says that that is the most crack-headed theory she has ever heard and comes from watching too much of X-Files, Stargate and StarTrek. I say there can never be enough of those three and...i'm rambling now...yeah, so i'm going to shut up and let you all post some nice reviews by using that little button beneath this, rather long, rant. Later dudes,  
DarkX


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: Do we understand that I don't own anything? I think we do. So I'm not going to say anything more about that.

**Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers: **Though I doubt that you remember what you wrote. So I shall give you a moment to look up your previous comments and then I shall begin. (Waits with theme music from Jeopardy) Right:

**Han-Skywalker**: Dude, I owe you a serious apology. You were kind enough to remind me of my duties not once but twice and were it not for my computer (see Author's Note below) I would have written this a LONG time ago. In any case, thank you for being so faithful to your duty, even when I am not faithful to mine. I hope that you will continue to keep my up on top of my chapters and please do not take my lack of updating as any kind of slight at all. Now, regarding your review: You are correct on your first guess. And as for contests…well…let's just say that you will like the following chapter. Again, thank you for being so faithful to review. This chapter is dedicated to you.  
**Mercedes Whitefox**: Uhhh….I blame Microsoft. They accept the spelling without the "a" and I am entirely too lazy (and far too much of a bad speller) to remember or change it. So, my deepest apologies for the lack of correct spelling and I pray that that does not keep you from reviewing.  
**Obi's Second Cousin:** Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, he is a silly man. I don't know. Yes, she always is. I'm thinking something from Episode IV involving Han and Obiwan. Heehee…you have no idea. Of course it isn't. Always. And thank you. Thanks for the review, always love hearing from you!  
**RavenRulzRF**: Thank you for the review!  
**Senator Elizabeth Organa**: Thanks for reviewing. As for Jack and Leia…not all that much. She's into the so-far-above-you-don't-even-think-about-it-mode and he's too sodding drunk. Anywho. Thanks for the review!  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: You are wise beyond your years. But we won't find out about Taivas for a while, unfortunately. Or perhaps fortunately. I don't know. But thanks for reviewing!

**AN1: This chapter is lovingly dedicated to Han-Skywalker, who is kind enough to PM me twice so that I would get this out. You are an amazing dude, dude. **

**AN2**: I LIVE!!!!!! Yes, that's right, ladies and germs, I finished yet another semester of hideous schooling and I had this chapter halfway written a while ago and would have finished and published it sometime in late November as promised except for the fact that my dear sweet and wonderful compy crashed and all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put compy together again. Until I came home for the Christmas holiday and my dad could rip my computer apart and put it back together again and he did and then I had to furiously race to rewrite and finish this chapter and then I realized that I had hated where it was going so then I had to erase and rewrite it a third time. So. You are now reading the fruit of several hours of rewritten material that stems from copious amounts of pie and eggnog. And if you have gotten through all of those above written runon sentences and are still here to tell the tale, I present to you the story: 

**Chapter 32  
****A Brief Treatise on the Necessity of Formal Language, the Intricacies and Intoxicating Properties of Various Types of Alcohol, the Potency of a Scorned Woman, and the Bargaining Power of Hats**

Webster's Third International Dictionary defines culture as the "integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations". And, as any good anthropologist, archeologist, translator, linguist, explorer, politician or elementary school teacher knows, culture was entirely dependent on formal language. The necessity of definition implies that culture be transmissible between two or more sentient persons, which required some form of verbal, written, or pantomimed communication, i.e. a language. Because the vast majority of human beings (and most other higher organisms) had both vocal transmission and auditory reception, most languages were primarily and fundamentally verbal with a smattering of kinetic gestures and or facial expressions thrown in for emphasis. As the culture developed, language became more and more formal, more structured, and eventually a written code evolved to fulfill that primary edict of culture: transmission to successive generations.

Written language was the fundamental medium for archeology. While other artifacts were very important to the knowledge of what people looked like and used and survived, it was the written records that explained who they were and how they lived, and, eventually, how they died. Hieroglyphics and pictograms were nearly universal in the primary cultures and they would show the progression of the culture as the pictures because more formal and the glyphs became more abstract. Graphic representations of sounds replaced pictures and written codes became more and more abstract until the code itself has practically nothing to do with the sounds they represent. Then, special translators are required to train the young to use the abstract code in formal terms.

This same progression of concrete to abstract is true in the spoken language. The ability to turn a phrase, to use colorful metaphors, and to understand what these mean are the hallmarks of an advanced culture. Everyone understands everyone else because they have been trained as a culture to do so. The more contact between cultures, the more necessary for a universal understanding of language is needed to keep confusion from escalating to agonizing frustration and ultimately conflict. A breakdown of communication is the downfall of society. No longer can one person understand what is meant by another and the knowledge that was meant to be transmitted stays locked inside an individual forever. Formal, organized, rational, chronologically progressive communication through a means of universally understood language is of absolute and vital importance of the survival of a cultural entity, or an individual.

Thus, it is understandable that, in the interest of self-preservation, Dr. Indiana Jones kept his trap shut during the following negations.

His previous work on this quest had been so similar to that which he had been doing on Earth, he did not feel that uncomfortable presence most people would have if they were plucked from their close-minded homes and thrust into a diverse and complicated universe. He was an archeologist on a dig, which was the universal constant that kept him sane during the past few months of culture shock. Dead cultures could all be navigated the same way because they were, in essence, all the same: dead. Cultural and linguistic differences were of no consequence whether he were a few thousand miles from home of a few thousand light-years.

But, since he set foot on the Paler Black, this nice calming view of his insane surroundings was quite effectively eviscerated. He was no longer dealing with a dead culture, dead language, dead people, or any other familiar keystones of archeology. Right now, he was amidst quite a living culture, one that seemed a historical anomaly with an indecipherable language. He had no means of bridging the language gap with these people unless given several months of intense study, which he did not have. So instead, after Luke's rather startling affirmation of Captain Jack Swallow, Indy sat in silence and prayed with all his might for Luke and Leia to keep quiet as well. They needed Han to step up as a cultural bridge, a translator, a mediator, and talk their way out of this trap.

And trap it most assuredly was. For no sooner did Han utter his exasperated riddle comment did Jack, with characteristic swagger, demand: "Whadayeh mean by that, mate?" wincing and fighting back the urge to trade glances with the siblings, Indy shot back the dregs of his glass and mentally begged any deity who was listening to please, Please, PLEASE let Han be half as good a liar as he bragged to get them out of here alive.

DXVJKE

It was at that instant, Han became conscious of two very important facts: one, he had just screwed up on cosmic proportions and two, Leia was going to kill him if he didn't get this smoothed out.

First feigning innocence he answered with a quiet "Hmm?" hoping that this would intone the fact that he had done absolutely nothing wrong.

Jack leaned forward slightly: "Yeh just said summin' 'bout riddles. What riddles?"

"Oh," Han replied like it was the most inconsequential thing in the world. "That. Don't mind that. Just a passing comment, nothing important."

"Maybe, but now yeh've sparked me curiosity, mate, so please, do tell all."

"Well…jeez how do I explain this…" he was more and more aware of the growing concern from his fellow teammates, and was especially aware of the animosity coming from Leia. Trying to cover for that he half laughed and continued lying through his teeth "It's kind of embarrassing really. See, we've been having some trouble with the Falcon's navigational system and it took a duce long time to navigate through the Outer Rim. So we stopped for directions from some Genosian traders who were on their way over to Tatooine to swap silver glipsice for NavSpice, least that's what they said. Anyway, having to practically ram into them to get their attention, we asked if they knew where we could find the Paler Black and they…well, let's just say that I won't ever be asking directions from them again.

"It was like trying to pull the teeth out of a wild Massiff. First they refused to talk to us, then they wanted payment, then they didn't know anything, and it want on and on and on and on and anyway, long story short, when they finally forked over directions to us, it was so enigmatic it was practically useless. Took us, what, three hours to figure out what the krething-Sith they were saying. I've got a headache the size of a red giant and now the whole figure-out-who-framed-you it's like…ugggh, ya know?" From the look of him, Han could be the poster-boy of why human males hate asking for directions. Internally, he was practically shaking with fear. He was lying like a dog to arguably the most dangerous pirate the galaxy had ever seen and if he got caught it wasn't just his neck but his ship and his friends and…and Leia who were going to pay for it. Jack's black rimmed eyes bored into him and for one agonizing eternity Han was certain that Jack knew.

"An' that wuz the aforementioned riddle?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Han answered, nodding his head and refusing to answer Leia's incredulous stare.

"Well, 'at makes perfect sense, mate. Hate askin' for directions meself," Jack paused before staring down at Indy's empty glass. "More rum?"

DXVJKE

"Well, that was a complete waste of time," Leia huffed as they walked back into the living area of the Falcon.

"Coulda been worse," Indy replied, slumping down over the table to massage the growing hangover pounding between his eyes.

"How could it have possibly been worse?" she snapped back. "We waltz onto a pirate ship, nearly got killed, created a major diplomatic snafu, nearly got killed again, made blithe comments about the mission we're on, nearly got killed a third time, and I had to sit there straight-faced as Han lied through his teeth to nearly kill us a fourth time and then you got soddingly drunk."

"Yes, and it could've been worse," Indy lifted his head ever so slightly before continuing. "I could be drunk on vodka instead of rum."

"What's vodka?" Luke asked, sliding in next to Indy.

"It's a tasteless alcohol made from fermented potato juice."

"Does it really make a difference how you got drunk?" Leia demanded, exasperated.

"Hell, yes," Indy snapped back, before wincing and cradling his head. "I really hate vodka." Leia rolled her eyes.

"I'm just glad that Han was there to get us out of there," Luke commented. Indy raised his head a second time, mock outrage smeared across his face.

"And what about my efforts, huh? I'm the one who had to suffer through three and a half bottles of moonshine rum, which was probably at least thirty proof, to get Jack drunk enough to suggest we get back on the Falcon. But do I get any credit? No."

"That's because you were enjoying it too much," Leia sighed.

"That's completely besides the point."

"And what is the point, Indy?"

"The fact that we are promptly back at square one," Han snarled, walking through the door. "No new clue. No idea where it is. No way to get it. Might as well give up and go home."

"But we've come so far," Luke said, protesting the ease in which his older friend was giving up. "We can't stop now."

"And what could you possibly do about it. The Dagobah hiding place has been ransacked, Swallow doesn't have it, and we have no idea where the next clue could possibly be. No point in continuing. End of story."

Leia rose to her brother's defense: "But what about the possibility of Swallow being framed? We could find the next piece that way."

"Right," Han quipped, rolling his eyes. "We'll just knock on the doors of everyone who has a vendetta against Jack Swallow to find the one person whose willing to implicate him in the theft of something that no one ever cares about. That makes perfect sense."

"Well not if you put it that way. But someone else could have stolen it and we have an obligation to at least try to find the next piece." Indy lifted his head just as she finished and stared at the princess with a curious look that would not normally belong on a drunk man.

"What…wait…what did you say?"

"That we can't give up in trying to find th—"

"No, no, not that…I mean before…you…" Indy scrunched his eyes closed, trying to clear the pounding nausea of a hangover long enough to have a conscious thought. "You said that someone else stole it."

"I think we already came to that conclusion on the Black. Someone framed Swallow."

"No. I think that Jack stole the next puzzle piece." Three pairs of eyes riveted on him in shock.

"Indy, you can't be serious," Leia started first. "Luke told us that he was telling the truth."

"He was telling the truth that he'd never been to Dagobah, not that he'd never stolen a millennia old rock."

Han caught on immediately: "You think that he had someone go down to the planet's surface, find the rock, take it, and then bring it back up to him."

"He never would have had to leave the Black, and he still gets the rewards of it," Indy affirmed, gingerly nodding his head.

"But that is the most underhanded, convoluted, piece of insanity I've ever heard of," Leia cried. Han turned towards her with a very amused grin creeping across his face.

"Leigh, honey, Jack's a pirate, this is what we do."

"Okay," Luke cut in, trying to familiarize himself with the latest analysis of the information, "Jack went to Dagobah, sent someone down to find the rock and leave his mark, then truthfully told us that he had never been down there, we assumed that he didn't have the rock, and now that we know we're going to do…what exactly?"

"The other thing that pirates do best," Indy answered. "We're going to take it from him."

DXVJKE

Jack was currently laying in his bunk, in his quarters, on his ship, cradling an empty bottle of rum, half asleep, thoroughly drunk, and having strange dreams involving large kraken and undead monkeys when the intercom whistle sounded loud and intensely in his ear. Bolting upright, he slammed the com on and barked a slurred order demanding what the krething drek was going on.

"_Sorry t'be innerruptin' ye sair,"_ Dibbs's voice came over the electronic box, _"But we're bein' hailed again by the Falcon."_

"Falcon?"

"_Aye sair, the Millennium Falcon. Her cap'n was just recently aboard. They had the Jedi."_

"Falcon! Right!" Jack swung his feet out of bed before pausing to stare at the com again. "Waddudey want?"

"_Parrently, they be havin' sum questions to ask ye, sair. An' I canna convince them udderwise."_

"Fine. I'll be up inna minute."

"_Aye, sair."_ The com system cut off, leaving Jack with a dull pounding in between his eyes. Looking down at the empty bottle for relief he sighed and shoved his boots on. Hangovers. Hangovers require rum to ease the pain. There would be rum on the bridge. Rum would help the situation. Rum always helps the situation. Need to get to the bridge. More rum.

Jack stomped onto his bridge and glared at Dibbs as the first officer sang out something entirely too loud. Slumping into his chair he reached for his favored bottle of liquid painkiller only to be met with thin air. "Mr. Dibbs. Where is my rum?"

Dibbs hesitated for half a breath before replying: "Ye've consumed it, sair."

"Mr. Dibbs, I have a very intense and powerfully incapacitatin' beginnin's of a hangover, which can only be fixed by copious amounts of alcohol, so please be so kind as to explain t'me why is the rum gone?"

"Ye've consumed it, sair," Dibbs repeated, hoping that the "intense and powerfully incapacitating beginnings of a hangover" would cover the fact that he had merely repeated his previous statement.

It didn't.

Jack stood from the chair, whirled on his first officer and barked in a voice entirely too loud for the pounding between his ears: "The WHY has no one seen fit to REPLACE IT?!"

Dibbs decided that now was the time to practice the old adage of caution being the better part of valor and, rather than telling the captain that they were down to their emergency supplies of rum, apologized profusely while rummaging around for his personal supply of alcohol to give to Jack. Easing his headache temporarily, Jack slid back into his seat and turned his attention to the problem that had originally awoken him from his sleep.

"Alright, Mr. Dibbs, puttim on screen." Dibbs gave a weary "Aye, sair" and in a moment the captain of the Falcon—or was it the doppelganger, that Jones fellow…hmm…yes it had to be him, he was wearing that hat (really nice hat)—appeared before him.

"_Captain Swallow, this is Indiana Jones."_

"Yes. Yes it is. How are you doin'?"

"_Been better. Bad headache. You?"_

"Ruddygoodshape neverbeenbetter wadduyouwant?"

"_Need to ask you a final question before we break company, and don't try that_ _metaphysical crap from before, we both know it won't work."_

"Then ask away, mate."

"_Do you have, in your possession, a piece of thousand year old granite with strange and indecipherable markings on one or both sides that was recently resting beneath an abandoned hovel on Dagobah?"_ Jack squinted as he tried to find a way to get out of answering this question. The Jedi was standing, just within the range of the viewscreen, listening and, no doubt, searching him to see if he would lie or not. And though he didn't engage in that paltry hand-wiping that Dibbs, et al., took part in earlier, Jack did have a healthy fear of the Jedi and had no desire to cross one.

"Yes. I am in possession of a rock that matches that description. Waddaryou gonna do about it?"

"_I would propose a drinking contest to determine who gets it. And since we are about_ _equally drunk, we'll be evenly matched. First man to pass out loses. I win, I get the rock."_

"An' if I win?" Jack asked, leaning in slightly. The chance to drink even more rum sounded like bloody good fun. The chance to drink even more rum while winning prizes of a valuable nature sounded like a wonderful and ingenious thing.

Indy shrugged on the other side of the communiqué: _"Pick something."_ Jack grinned raggedly at the prospects.

"I want yer hat, mate."

"_My hat?"_

"Aye."

"_Okay, deal. I win I get the rock. You win you get my hat. Last man conscious is the_ _winner." _

"Roight. We'll do this on neutral ground, eh? The extension plank between our two vessels."

"_Sounds good. Meet you there in ten minutes?"_

"Aye. Black out."

DXVJKE

"Indy are you sure that this is a good idea?" Leia demanded as they stomped through the corridors of the Falcon towards the preferred spot for the contest.

"Yes, I'm sure. This is the only way to get the next puzzle piece without death, destruction, murder, or exploding ships."

"But if Jack finds out he'll kill us anyways."

"Jack won't find out, he's too drunk to see his hand in front of his own face."

DXVJKE

"Jack won't find out. He's too drunk t'see his hand infronta his own face." Misters Dibbs and Candun were talking quietly at the back of the group going down to witness the contest.

"But, Dibbs, iffen ta Cap'n figgur's out we waystd our last rum onnis—"

"I just told ye, man, Jack won't find out."

"It'll take a pow'rful 'mount o'rum ta knockout ta Cap'n. We may run out."

"Candun, man, buck up. The opposition doesn't stand a chance against Cap'n Jack Swallow. Jack'll drink'em unner in less than three belts."

"I sure 'ope yor right 'bout 'is."

DXVJKE

"I sure hope your right about this," Luke breathed to Indy as the archeologist passed him. Before them stood the Black's party, half of them carrying cases of rum, two holding the grey slab of granite that the Falcon's party instantly recognized as being the real article, and one, slightly swaying, pirate captain. Leia stepped forward to be the acting herald for their party.

"Jack Swallow, Captain of the Paler Black, are you willing to uphold the terms previously agreed upon: that this will be a drinking contest between yourself and Dr. Indiana Jones, that the winner will be the last man conscious after the consumption of alcohol, and that the winner will receive the prize previously agreed upon? That if you lose you are willing to relinquish that rock? And that you will allow us to leave peacefully with no hostile recriminations?"

DXVJKE

"I am, on all points," Jack answered, swinging his leg over the back of the chair to sit down. Mariana, who was usually the herald, stepped forward.

"Dr. Indiana Jones, of the Millennium Falcon, are you willing to uphold the terms just mentioned and that, if you lose, you will relinquish your hat and leave peacefully?"

"I am," Indy answered, also sitting at the table. He drew out a box of small shot glasses and set them on the table. "Score will be kept by how many glasses are filled, emptied, and flipped in front of the drinker. All of these glasses are equal and will hold equal amounts of alcohol. I would like Captain Han Solo to pour your shots and you can choose anyone from your team to pour mine."

Jack nodded and turned: "Mr. Dibbs, iffen you would be so kind."

"Aye sair." The two men came up and stood on opposite sides of the table. The Falcon's captain pulled out a glass, filled it and set it before Jack. The Black's First Officer copied the movement, setting his glass before Indy. The two combatants locked eyes, lifted glasses, shot back the alcohol, flipped their glasses over and continued to glare at each other.

The movements continued with clock like precision over and over and over and over again until the drinkers began to sway in their seats. Empty bottles and empty cups littered the table and floors. Han and Dibbs raided crate after crate of rum and Indy and Jack downed them with ever slurring motions. It went on for nearly an hour. Pour, set, drink, flip. Pour, set, drink, flip. Pour, set, drink, flip. Pour, set, drink, flip. Pour, set, drink, flip. Pour, set, drink, flip. The onlookers began to worry about the health of the two men. Dibbs was worried about the rum. Han looked worried since he set foot in view. Indy and Jack were so drunk that they barely keep their lips together long enough to swallow. And then something drastic happened.

The Paler Black ran out of rum.

Dibbs had scrounged up every bottle, half bottle, stash, and ration of alcohol that they had on the ship and now it was all gone. All of it. Gone. Swallowing hard, he turned to Han and hoarsely whispered the truth of the matter.

"No more?" Han asked incredulously.

"Aye, it's all gone." The pirate captain seemed deep in thought for a moment before turning to the archeologist.

"Indy, I'm gonna need to use that bottle of whiskey you were bragging about earlier."

"Huh?" Indy lifted his head, swaying on his seat before nodding sagely, "Yeah."

"It's in your bag, right?"

Indy paused for a long time before answering: "Yeah." Han reached over to the canvas bag on the floor, rummaged around it and pulled out a silver flask. He handed it to Dibbs.

"This is Indy's personal stash and may be enough to end this…uh…duel. You want to test it first?" Dibbs nodded, took the flask, downed a mouthful and coughed.

"WHOAthassgoostuff." He poured it into one of the few remaining glasses and set it before Indy. The archeologist grasped it in a shaking hand, swung it back and froze. Agonizing seconds ticked by as the witnesses tried to ascertain whether or not he was going to make it. At the last second, he swallowed and gasped. But he remained upright. Han took the flask, poured the pale gold liquor into the small glass and set it before Jack. The pirate took it in a steady hand, but in the process of throwing it back, he threw himself back and fell onto the floor with a sickening thud. Everyone rushed around him and Dibbs gently slapped his face a few times. There was no response; the pirate was out cold. Dibbs locked eyes with Han and pronounced his judgement.

"Cap'n Swallow is unconscious. We concede defeat. Take you're rock and go." Han nodded and reached for the granite slab. Luke and Leia gently lifted and dragged the semi-conscious Indy off the plank. Han began to follow before turning back.

"You gonna need any help?" Dibbs shook his head as the other pirates worked to pick up Jack, the bottles, the glasses, and the table. "Okay, we'll be out of this sector within the hour." Dibbs nodded and offered his hand to Han, who took it.

"That's some mighty pow'rful stuff. Whatjacallit?"

"Whiskey. It's from Indy's home planet. He said an old girlfriend made it for his birthday one year." Dibbs shook his head.

"Figgers. Anything made by an old flame is supposed to knock a man on his arse," he laughed slightly. "Be seein' ye, Cap'n Solo."

"Be seeing you, Mr Dibbs."

DXVJKE

Luke was seated at the table in the living quarters and looked up when the last person of their group came in, carrying the tablet.

"How is—"

"Leigh's got him vommitting in his quarters," Luke interrupted. "That was a Sithuvalot of alcohol you made him drink."

"It worked, right?" Luke shook his head in disbelief before offering up a brown felt fedora.

"Here's your hat back."

"Thanks, Luke," Indy answered, clapping the fedora on. He looked down on his borrowed togs and sighed. "Can't believe I had to sacrifice Marion's whiskey just to get a piece of rock."

"It worked, right?" Luke mimicked back at him. "And it wasn't that much of a sacrifice, barely two shots."

"I guess," the archeologist sighed. Both men turned as Leia walked through the door.

"How's Han?"

"After puking the last eight meals he's eaten out? Fine." She slid in next to her brother and glared at Indy. "Having him take your place in this stupid contest is without a doubt the most underhanded thing I have ever seen you pull." Indy adopted a penitent, hang-dog expression.

"It's the only way we could have done this, Leia, you know that."

"Oh, yes, I know it, and believe me, mister, when I say that you owe me big time."

"Owe _you_?" Indy asked, incredulous.

"Yes, me. You've just given Han the hangover of the century and I'm the one who had to play nursemaid to him. That was a lot of puke I just had to put up with, not to mention the worry I went through during this ridiculous escapade, and the coming storm of Han being drunk and grouchy, so yes, you owe me." Indy half laughed and nodded, looking up with a decidedly Han-esque smirk.

"So, what are you demanding as recompense?"

"I want some of that," she replied, pointing at the silver flask still in his hand. Indy looked down at it and back up at her.

"Leia, I'm saying this as a friend, you do not want to drink this stuff. This is moonshined whiskey made by a professional drinker and former girlfriend of mine who, according to Mr. Dibbs, made it specifically to 'knock me on me arse'. You do not want to try this."

"Oh, yes, I do." Indy looked pleadingly at Luke, who gave him a just-humor-her eye-roll, and then gave in.

"Okay." He handed her the flask and sat at the table. Leia unscrewed the lid, took a delicate sip, and promptly turned about eight shades of green as she slowly swallowed it. Gasping for air and coughing loudly it took them nearly five minutes and several glasses of water before she could talk again.

"What the hell did you do to her, Indy?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," the archeologist sighed.

"Try-cough-me," the princess barked out.

"Well, it started with trying to find this solid gold idol in an abandoned, booby trapped, temple in South America…"

DXVJKE

And there you have it. 32 chapters of Indy and Star Wars. And if you people are still reading this drivel, then you should go out and buy yourselves a belated Christmas present, because you are without a doubt the most faithful readers/reviewers I have ever known. I don't think that I could stand these long and convoluted chapters, the months of wait time in between, the botching of characters, the plot holes big enough to drive a John Deere Tractor through, and the narcissistic author who goes on and on and on and on about how hard and tedious life is. I would have left this story a long time ago. But you people haven't. And for that, I give you eighteen different kinds of Christmas Cookies baked by my dear sweet grandmama. You people are amazing.  
Now, for the rest of you who read but do not review, if you want said Christmas Cookies (and don't want me to load my Christmas present of 500 rounds of .223 Remington Rifle shot into my birthday present of an AR-15 and come hunting you down) I suggest that you drop a little line saying, at the very least, Merry ChristmaHannuKwanzaDon and Happy New Year. If not, see the parenthetical statement in the above sentence and know this: I, DarkXVulcanJediKnightofEregion, am the best sniper shot in my family, without a hunting scope. You have been warned.  
And for everyone out there, Have a wonderful New Year full of peace, creativity, fanfiction, and cookies!  
Later,  
DarkX


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I own Taivas, Duo and Katra. That's it. Nothing else in this fic belongs to me, so all you lawyers can just go away before I begin putting forth petitions to enact Shakespeare's advice regarding you.

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:  
**Anonymous:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Even though you didn't give me a name, I hope that you're reading this so I can thank you for your kind review and that you've been sticking with it since May (wow, dedicated much?). Thanks for reviewing and I hope you continue to enjoy it.  
**Han-Skywalker**: YOU DON'T HATE ME!!! (bursts into tears of joy and throws confetti around the room). I was so worried that I had pushed you away for good because of my uber-rude behavior. Again, I apologize and offer this early fic as a peace offering. I'm so glad that you're back and reviewing and I hope you will continue to poke me about my time limits. Thanks so much for reviewing, friend. You don't know how glad I am to have you back on board.  
**Iccle Fairy: **HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! And HUZZAH again for reviewing more than one chapter. Thanks for all your kind words, they made my day. And I couldn't not say anything about Indy's hat (I WANT IT, for pete's sake), so I made Jack (who already has a fixation on hats) want it as well. I'm glad you're enjoying my writings and I hope that you stick around.  
**Jedi X-Man**: Thanks for reviewing! And I'm glad you liked the Vodka parts. That was one of my favorite scenes to write. Too much fun.  
**Obi's Second Cousin:** Best advice in the universe, mate. Also, if you like rum related advice, go search for the write Tavia, go to her page and read the story "Art of Escape" (not "THE art of escape", because that is something completely different and hysterically funny if you're into Star Trek), all sorts of rummy funness. And thanks for the encouragement about the pirates. I love them all dearly.  
**StormieSkywalker:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Thanks so much for the review. I'm glad that you're enjoying my writing.  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: Thanks dude. I try to keep everything adventuresome and moving at a pretty clipped pace and yes, there is a lot of fun stuff connected to the puzzle pieces. Just stick around for the next few chapters and things are going to get VERY interesting. (insert evil laugh). I love Han. I love Jack. And I'm glad that I could pull them off well without the massive amounts of egotistical pirate mania overrunning my story and causing the universe to implode. As for now what? well…let's just say that the entire plot is about to make a pretty tight hairpin turn. And yes, there are hundreds of possible story lines I could run off of this…but then I would be writing until doomsday and I would like to finish this story before I graduate and have to think about real life…all that is to say: stick around. And thanks for reviewing, as always.  
**Telpy the Mouse**: Awwwww….you are so sweet for writing that. Thanks for the review and I really liked that line too.  
**Twisterblake**: Luke, go dark? Eeehhhhhhhh……no. I prefer to keep my borrowed characters as cannon as I possibly can. But thanks for the review!

**Chapter 33**

**Possible Impossibilities**

It was absolutely impossible to hurt this bad. It was unfair. It was cruel. And it was imposed upon him to save the galaxy. And it hurt. It really hurt. It was like having three extremely angry Wookies pounding on his temples with spiked mallets. It was a hangover and he was going to kill whoever had put him up to this…as soon as he remembered why it was his head hurt this much.

Hangover.

Unfair.

Cruel.

Imposed.

Wookies.

Pain.

Pirates? Did pirates have something to do with this? Sith it hurt. It hurt to think. Which was a very bad thing, especially seeming how it didn't seem to hurt to worry. Which was also unfair. Utterly unfair. And impossible.

Sith, it hurt.

Pirates were going to open fire on his Falcon at any moment and all he could do was lie on the floor…or was it his bunk?…and meditate on the aftertaste of vomit and how much his head hurt. Except he couldn't really meditate because his head hurt so krething much.

How the skrujj did this happen?

Indy did it. Somehow this was all Indy's fault and, as soon as the Wookies with spiked mallets eased up a little bit, he was going to crawl out of this…wherever he was…and beat the grudding skrag out of Indy. In fact, he'll do it right now.

Pain.

Lots of pain.

Bad idea.

Back in bed.

Stop throbbing.

Hurts.

Sith, it hurts.

Indy'll wait. Just lie here for a while…

DXVJKE

Currently completely oblivious to Han's future vengeance poised to strike out against those who impose hangovers on unsuspecting pirates, Indy sat with Luke and Leia and the droids at the table staring at the curiously carved piece of granite that had caused so much trouble. It was black granite, nearly identical in size to the other granite pieces, excepting the circular one that they had gotten on Tatooine. On one side of the new piece were the carved circles, points, lines, and rays that had been previously identified as the parts of the coded map. On the other side were the strange carvings of the Ancient language that had appeared on every other clue. It was this latter half that had their attention.

"This is impossible," Leia finally sighed. She had been arduously laboring on translating the archaic script that took up nearly all the tablet's surface for the past three hours. Every word, comma, mark, etc. was meticulously copied into Indy's notebook so that she would never have to do it again. Three hours of pent up frustration finally spilled over as she voiced her opinion on the matter. "This is insane. This is utterly unfair and cruel and it makes absolutely no conceivable sense."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, trying to be sympathetic to his sister.

"Well, for starters, this isn't like any of the other clues that we've gotten. The others were concise, rhyming even, and directly to the point. This is…well, it sounds like a story, a folk tale even, but I've never heard of it before."

"Can you read it out to us?" Indy requested.

"I'll try. But, it's pretty long." She cleared her throat before continuing.

"_He who has seen everything, I will make known to the lands.  
"I will teach about him who experienced all things alike:  
"Anu granted him the totality of knowledge of all.  
"He saw the Secret, discovered the Hidden, he brought information of the time before the Flood.  
"He went on a distant journey, pushing himself to exhaustion, but then was brought to peace.  
_"_He carved on a stone stela all of his toils, and built the wall of Uruk-Haven, the wall of the sacred Eanna Temple, the holy sanctuary.  
"Look at its wall which gleams like copper, inspect its inner wall, the likes of which no one can equal!  
"Take hold of the threshold stone--it dates from ancient times!  
"Go close to the Eanna Temple, the residence of Ishtar, such as no later king or man ever equaled!  
"Go up on the wall of Uruk and walk around, examine its foundation, inspect its brickwork thoroughly.  
"Is not even the core of the brick structure made of kiln-fired brick, and did not the Seven Sages themselves lay out its plans?  
"One league city, one league palm gardens, one league lowlands, the open area of the Ishtar Temple three leagues and the open area of Uruk it wall encloses.  
"Find the copper tablet box, open its lock of bronze, undo the fastening of its secret opening.  
"Take and read out from the lapis lazuli tablet how…_I can't pronounce this word_…went through every hardship.  
_"That's all the writing, and beneath that is a long string of numbers, which don't make any sense either."

"What are they?" Luke asked.

"18-67-79-158-228-280-347-365-404-508-511-427-646-1029-397-659-532-822-690-909-749-871-887-757-204-996-1048 and 952."

"Sir," C3PO spoke for the first time, "Could these possibly be coordinates?" Luke leaned over to look at his sister's notes a moment before shaking his head.

"No, no way. Even if you rearrange them and try to fit them to our charts, it would never work." He paused before adding: "Maybe we're supposed to find this box in that temple."

"But what about the numbers?" Leia said, tapping the bottom of the tablet. "The two clues have to be connected."

"It could be a combination lock or something. What do you think, Indy?" The twins looked over at the still silent archeologist. Indy hadn't said a word since Leia began reading and now snapped his head up as if from a trance.

"Hmm?"

"I asked, what do you think about this?" Luke waved his hand over the journal.

"I think that this is…statistically…impossible." He looked pointedly at Leia and demanded: "Are you sure you translated it right?"

"I should think so," the princess replied, a bit huffily.

"Then…this really is…" Indy trailed off as if searching for some means to explain himself, prompting Luke to verbally nudge him.

"This really is what?"

"This is the prelude from the Song of Gilgamesh. It's one of the oldest surviving written texts the archeological community has ever come across and…" Indy swallowed hard, "And it's from Earth."

DXVJKE

The stench was absolutely intolerable.

The Hunter set delicate feet on the open parapet that looked more like an old battlefield than a roof. Decaying bodies were everywhere. ARC Troopers, all dead, had been stripped of their battle armor and were lying in discarded heaps of body parts. Dried blood stained the dark grey tile and the air was rank with the odor of rotting human flesh that had been burned out of existence. There was also a touch of ionized residue lingering and mingling with the smell of decay to create a quite believable miasma of death.

Taivas felt like puking.

And she probably would have had not two very distinguished facts were present. The first was the impromptu door on the opposite side of the roof. The second was the pile of discarded armor.

The door meant that there was a means of escape from this smell, which was good.

The pile meant that there was at least one living creature in this Force-forsaken building who was willing to claw apart rotting ARC Troopers for the valuable pieces of armor. And that was very, VERY bad. Unless, of course, one was Jägenkov. And then it just meant that this little recognizance mission was going to be more fun that originally anticipated.

Moving with the utter silence and grace that only a Macskian possesses, Taivas picked her way around the dead towards the doorway.

DXVJKE

Stunned silence followed Indy's pronouncement as everyone in the room exchanged glances (excepting R2, as he had no eyes to glance with). It was Leia who finally broached the void.

"Earth? But…that's…"

"Impossible? Yeah, that's what I said," Indy growled. "How the hell did they get a hold of a copy of Gilgamesh? How did they translate it? Why Gilgamesh? When did they Jedi come to Earth? Who—?"

"Indy, you can't possibly believe that the Jedi have been to Earth," Leia cut in.

"Well, unless someone simultaneously wrote the Song of Gilgamesh on another planet out there," he gestured to the black reaches of space beyond the thin walls of the Falcon, "At least one of these Jedi has been to Earth."

"So, maybe the next clue's there?" Luke asked hopefully.

"That doesn't explain the numbers at the bottom of the tablet," Leia reminded them. "Indy, we need you to focus on this mystery first." The archeologist sighed heavily.

"Yeah, I know. But…still…this is just too weird." He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling for a good five minutes, thinking.

DXVJKE

Pain.

That's what woke him up from the wonderfully dead sleep he had been in. But no more. Now he just had pain. Apparently, at least two of the Wookies with spiked hammers had left the immediate vicinity of his brain, but one of them remained and that was enough discomfort to make him being awake completely unfair.

How the krething Sith could his head hurt this badly?

It was impossible.

Hangovers were impossible.

Thinking was impossible.

It

Just

Hurt

Indy. Somehow this was all Indy's fault. He couldn't quite figure out how…or when…or even why… it happened, but Indy was to blame. And as soon as he could wash the taste of vomit and rum out of his mouth…no, scratch that. As soon as he could sit up without the Wookie's friends showing up…he was going to hurt Indy.

But sitting up hurt.

Stupid, krething, skrujjing, slagish, dirty, double-crossing, Sithfrikked, Force-forgotten hangovers…AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!!!!! Why the HELL did it hurt so bad?!?

DXVJKE

"Alright," Indy finally said, leaning back down towards the black slab of granite. "If we begin with the presupposition that the numbers and the prelude are intimately connected, then we are left with two plausible outcomes for finding the clue. Either A) the words are a cipher to interpreting the numbers or B) the numbers are a cipher for interpreting the words."

"Couldn't the numbers be a combination to the lock mentioned in the…what did you call it…the prelude?" Luke dissented. "We could be looking for this Ishtar Temple."

"No," Indy immediately countered. "Ishtar is an Earth deity. She was considered the goddess of love, fertility, and war to ancient Babylonians and Assyrians, who were the people considered to have written Gilgamesh. And even if it were possible to find mention of her off of Earth, there's no way that the city of Uruk could exist there also. Uruk, especially the one that is mentioned in this poem, is an excavated city in the lower Mesopotamian region of the Middle East. On Earth. And even if THAT were possible, there's no way that a people as primitive as all that could have created a combination lock that is… twenty eight characters long and has at least ten hundred forty eight possible combinations. Can't be done."

"But the Jedi could have made—"

"The Jedi wouldn't have opened a set of directions with 'listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere'. It's completely against their modus operandi." He received a set of confused stares as the twins began to ask simultaneously:

"Who's Paul Revere?"

"Modus what?"

Indy looked back and forth between the two of them before shaking his head. "Never mind. My point is, what Leia said before is completely correct. This is unlike any of the other clues that we've come across."

"Maybe it's supposed to be different," Leia started, softly.

"But not THIS different. No, what you said earlier is the most logical possibility. Ocham's Razor must be applied first before we go chasing after Ishtar's temple and eleven-hundred character combination locks."

"What's Ocham's Razor?" Luke asked confused.

"William of Ocham was a monk who helped to define the principle '_entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem'_, or 'entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity'. Basically, it means the simplest solution to a perplexing problem is usually the most correct. The less far out our theories are the more likely to be correct they are. We start with the most obvious answer and work from there."

"And the most obvious answer is that the numbers and the letters are connected," Leia said.

"Yeah."

"So, what first?"

DXVJKE

_Well, this is different, _Taivas thought as she examined the door. The metal bore the markings that made it appear to have been…melted. She scraped the surface with the tip of her claw, examining the density of the doorway. As she expected, there was little to no markings left from the scratch. Whatever had cut through this door had been incredibly sharp…or incredibly hot.

She stepped slowly down the hallway, taking note of blaster pocks, mounds of dust, and the obvious fact that there was some kind of energy moving through the building. This was the Jedi temple, the last place they had confirmation that her quarry had been, and a freshly opened cache of treasure just waiting to be attacked by the lowlife scum that now inhabited Correscant. At the end of the hallway was a door that undoubtedly led to a turbo lift. Taivas paused before activating the sensor that would open the door. As much as she would love to run her claws through something more than a holographic image, the necessity for speed was quite demanding, and that required that she have a destination.

The lift door opened to allow the Macskian entrance. Taivas cleared her throat softly before announcing: "Computer, take me to the archives."

DXVJKE

"So if we look at the first of your original two suggestions, we have to interpret the numbers by the words, correct?" Leia asked, looking down at Indy's journal.

"Right."

"How do we do that?" Luke asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," Indy growled. "It's easier to try and do the other possibility first."

"Words by numbers?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so could it be pick the eighteenth word then the sixty-seventh—"

"No," Leia cut in. "No, it can't be words. There's no way that there could be one thousand forty eight words on this tablet."

"Well how else could the…" Luke trailed off and then snapped his fingers. "Letters. It's the number of letters from the start."

"Ugg," Indy groaned.

"What?" the Jedi asked, turning towards him.

"I really don't want to count ten-hundred forty eight letters."

"We don't have to," Luke promised, grinning. "R2, scan this page for me." The little droid emitted a bluish white light from the optical port on his "face" and ran it over the page. "Do you have it?" R2 whistled an affirmative. "Okay, now I'm going to feed you a series of numbers. I want you to tell me the corresponding letters, beginning from the first." The droid gave another whistle, paused, and then began a series of whistles. Indy snatched the journal from Luke, grabbed his pen, and stood poised for the stream of letters.

C3PO began to translate: "T-H-E-D-A…"

DXVJKE

The pain had lessened enough for him to make it to the sink. There he began to wash out his mouth, trying to rid from his tongue the taste of vomit and rum and whatever the Sith that last belt of yellow stuff was. He chanced to look into the mirror and groaned softly. Huge dark circles were under his eyes, a healthy amount of stubble had accumulated on his chin, his hair was even more mussed than usual, and his eyes were bleary. To put it mildly, it look like he went nine rounds with a boxing droid and lost.

And his head still hurt.

But he was standing, and he could sort of pull on his boots without feeling the need to—oh hell.

DXVJKE

The archives room of the Jedi Temple had recently been disturbed, but not by the pirate scum who had attacked the remnants of the ARC Troopers. That was evident by the fact that there were still archives to be found in the archive room. Taivas leaned over and carefully sniffed the largest set of tracks on the dust covered floor. Wookie. A wookie, four humans and two droids had been down here sometime in the last two months, their footprints were distinct and clear in the decade old layer of dust.

The footprints matched the description of her quarry but it raised some very interesting questions. Particularly, the build up of dust on the new prints suggested that they were here a great deal longer than when the ARC Troopers had encountered them on the rooftop. That meant that the Jedi and the Archeologist had been here at least twice with a great deal of time in between. Why had they returned? What did they need the second time that they weren't able to accomplish or find on their first trip?

Murmuring softly to herself, Taivas slid into one of the computer booths and brought up the security footage. The restoration of power to the temple meant that the security cameras had also been restored, which meant there were tapes somewhere in all this mess that would be able to tell her what the other members of her quarry looked like and what it was that they were after.

DXVJKE

"THEDARKSIDEOFMYPOLESTARSMOON," Indy said, rattling off the fruit of R2's decoding. "Reading it altogether, we get 'the dark side of my pole stars moon'."

"That's the real clue?" Luke asked.

"Yep. Pretty ingenious means to hide a piece of valuable information," Indy made a few quiet notes in his journal while he tried to ignore the blatantly obvious question.

"So, where are we going?" The question that Leia just _had_ to voice. Indy sighed.

"I have absolutely no idea. And right now, I really need to think, okay?" He slid from the table and began to head towards his room when, if he hadn't known for certain that cloning was impossible, he would have sworn that he just ran into his own fist.

DXVJKE

Vomit. Vomit was perhaps the most disgusting, vile, revolting, hideous, and downright nasty thing that could possibly have a flavor. But it did. And it tasted disgusting, vile, revolting, hideous, and downright nasty. And yet, he had to taste it again, and again, and again, and again. Because the second that he thought he had finally rinsed the taste of that whiskey-and-rum-cocktail-flavored-vomit out of his mouth, he blew another technicolored yawn all over the tiled floor of the bathroom.

However, there was one, and only one, positive aspect to hugging the toilet: his head was slowly clearing from the mind numbing aspect of how-krething-skret-can-this-hurt-so-much-PAIN. He was remembering what had happened, just how much alcohol he had consumed, and who, exactly, had caused it. And the second he could stand up, thoroughly rinse his mouth, and walk five steps without having to race back to the bathroom, Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon, General in the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire, record setting space pirate and smuggler, decided to declare it open season on archeologists.

DXVJKE

What Taivas saw on the security cameras had caused her to close down the security department and open up the history banks. She was speed reading through all the technical, historical, and apocryphal information that the Jedi Order had on this "Lost Valley" and what she found was quite astonishing. _So THIS is what Nyeri is after_, she mused after a few minutes. A centralized Jedi power source was quite a tempting prize to someone as power-mad and controlling as the Sith lord. Quite a tempting prize

Armed with this new information, Taivas returned to the security feeds to scrutinize her quarry and match it up with what little information Nyeri had provided her. There were the two droids, one astro and one protocol _(both boring)_, the Wookie _(which are always fun at close quarters)_, and the four humans. The woman was completely uninspiring and didn't need her attention. Other than being a Senator and a pretty face, she was boring. There was the pirate, who was also uninspiring and boring. The Jedi, who, although had the greatest potential for a good fight, was entirely too easy to manipulate. And then there was this archeologist who, if you believed Nyeri, was the most manipulative, two-faced, lying, back-stabbing, slippery, conniving, brilliant, and adaptive person who ever was born. If all you had to believe were a few minutes of holo-feed, all you saw was that he was dedicated, brave, a pretty damn good shot, and, as far as humans go, kind of cute. But that meant that the boring pirate was also kind of cute seeming how, for some unknown reason, they both looked the same…strange. Still…This presented some surprising possibilities for how to complete her mission, possibilities which were not entirely unpleasant in their prospects.

Taivas powered down the workstation and moved toward the elevator.

DXVJKE

Luke and Leia leapt up from the table at the cracking sound that emanated from the hallway and raced forward as a stream of slurred howling, yelling, and cursing proceeded. Swinging around the corner, they saw Indy clamping Han in a full-nelson pin as the pirate cussed and staggered and tried to slam Indy into the wall. Luke quickly inserted himself between the two of them, pushing Indy towards Leia and then grabbing Han as he bolted after his former captor.

"Han! What the Sith is wrong with you?" Leia barked as she moved to help her brother restrain her boyfriend.

"Thaslimy sunnuvabantha Immmm gonnakillem, Lay…killem," Han yanked forward only to be caught in Leia's small and fiercely strong arms.

"Han. Han, look at me. You're drunk. You have no idea what you're doing. Now let's get back to bed so you can sleep."

"Doneed sleep," he wrested himself from her arms and pushed Luke away, "Needakillthaslimy sunnuvabantha." He lurched towards Indy with murderous hate in his eyes. Luke moved after him, but froze when Indy glared at him and held up his hand. The archeologist shifted his gaze back to Han, a red mark slowly welling where he had been struck earlier.

"What do you want, Han?"

The pirate swayed slowly back and forth and then blinked slowly. He drew his right hand back into a fist and them promptly doubled over and threw up. Indy reached forward to catch him as Han began to fall into his own vomit. Han's eyes narrowed as he slowly was helped back upright. He fixed his gaze on the bridge of Indy's nose as he calmly stated his demands.

"I. Want. My. Clothes. Back." Indy quickly looked down at the remains of his brilliant plan and then nodded.

"No problem, come on, let's get you back to bed." Han swayed and staggered his way towards his room, arm thrown carelessly across Indy's shoulders. Luke and Leia watched the two of them disappear behind the door and then quietly exchanged glances.

"It's like having Han's twin brother aboard," Leia commented to no one in particular. Luke smiled weakly and then looked up as Indy came back out of the room. He was dressed in his usual clothes again and stopped short as he saw the two of them staring at him.

"What did I do?"

"Leia said you're like Han's twin brother," Luke answered simply as his sister glared daggers at him. Indy looked from the one to the other with furrowed look on his face

"What?"

"I didn't mean anything bad by it," Leia started, "Just that the two of you—"

"No. Brothers…" A smile slowly crept across his face, melting away the furrowed look of before. "The clue. The tablet's clue…dark side of my pole star's moon. It's referring to the brothers…Duo and Katra." He started moving back towards the living room, quite ignoring the still liquid pool of vomit, to snatch his journal off of the table. Flipping through it, Indy quickly scanned and then tapped one page. "The first clue we got, the one at the grave, Duo kept referring to Katra as his 'Pole Star', and now we get another clue referring, not only to the pole star, but to its moon. We need to go back to that moon…Iosis?…Isosis?…Isosis…that's where the next clue is." Luke and Leia, who had followed if only to see what the torrent of words meant, now nodded vigorously. Luke went to go find Chewbacca to tell him about the jaunt as Leia moved off to check on Han. Indy carefully wrapped up the tablet and carefully stored it in the hold that contained the other pieces of the puzzle. He then returned to put his journal back in its bag and brushed his hand across the silver flask.

Marion.

_Where are you, girl?_ He thought as he moved his gear to his quarters. A wave of homesickness washed over him again and he sighed. The stars beckoned from his viewport and Indy swallowed hard. _Which point of light was Earth? _

_How far away is home?_

DXVJKE

Taivas was sitting back in the cockpit of her small ship, pondering what she had gathered. The intelligence Carron had given her was almost exactly in line with what she had been able to gather from the security feeds, with the exception of Carron's own prejudice, of course. She was tracking a group of extremely sophisticated, or extremely lucky, individuals who had professional and personal reasons for getting to the Valley first. Her instructions from Carron were blatantly obvious, but he had offered next to no advice on how to actually carry them out. What's more, since what the ARC's were calling the "Rooftop Incident", she had absolutely no intelligence on where Jones and his people were. It was a big galaxy and she had neither the time nor the patience to go looking under every rock and stone.

Tapping the computer screen, she pulled up the star charts for the known galaxy, based on the Galactic Center. She began to mark the planets that she knew they had visited. Corescant, Isosis, Tatooine, Soduka, Corescant again, and then…wait… Taivas tilted her head and then drew a thin line connecting the lighted dots on the screen. The line was perfectly straight, but not in the order that she knew they had been visited. According to the line, Tatooine was on one end, then Soduka, then Isosis, then Corescant. Searching for the next viable planet along the line, right after Corescant, she came across Dagobah and sneered. That planet was one of the least inhabitable in the Galaxy and there was no way in Macsk that kitty was slugging through that mucky swamp. Not. Going. To. Happen.

On other side of Corescant was Isosis. A dead moon. Boring. _Yet_, the anylitical side of her brain pointed out, _it is the first place that they visited after Corescant and the first one that the ARC's encountered them on. _The possibilities presented in going to Isosis were slowly growing in her mind. They hadn't been attacked yet, so they may have been sloppy and left some valuable clue that could be useful in other ways. Besides, dead moons didn't have icky swamp muck and that made the journey that much more desirable. Tapping the computer screen to bring the engines to life, Taivas closed the Nav map and took hold of the controls. Kitty was going to hunt.

DXVJKE

Insert dramatic music. So, we have a maniacal, crazy, cyborg, cat lady who's been hired by a whacked out and power mad Sith lord going after a Jedi, a princess, a pirate, a wookie, two droids, and one archeologist very far away from home. And look, they're all headed for the same place. And we all say YAY for plot twists!!!

In other news, life is about to get crazy whacko for me so I may not be updating for a while. We'll see. On the bright side: I have finally mapped out the general plot for the end of this story (balloons and confetti burst from the ceiling as a marching band begins to play "Fanfare for the Common Man"). I'm looking at going to 50 chapters and then having the end. There's going to be explosions, betrayal, redemption, trust, love, romance, fights, British accents, lightsabers, more pirates, Jedi, Sith, old friends, new friends, new friends who became old friends only to resurface as new friends again, more alcohol, plot twists by the bucketfuls, and pie. Yes, there will be pie too. So, to make it brief, you will want to do the following two things: 1) you MUST stick around for the end of this story. 2) keep on the lookout for the note that tells you to go back and re-read the entire story. This last point is important because when I drop the last few chapters on you, you will want to know the whole story from start to finish to get the general flavor, plot, and culminating sequence in the full manner that I wanted it to be read in. So, do stick around for the next chapter. Until then,  
Later dudes,  
DarkX

PS: to have an absolute laugh, go to DeviantArt(dot)com and put the following (including quotes) in the search bar: "Bandits of the Silver Screen". Click the picture that shows up and then click it again to enlarge it. Read all the text and have some fun.


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I own Jack Swallow, Taivas, Carron, and Aerik. That's it. Everything else is George Lucas and Steven Spielburg's. Now go away.

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:

**Anonymous:** sorry mate. See author's note below. It took me like forever to get this chapter out. thanks for reviewing.  
**Aoi Dragon:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! Thanks for loving all my characters, I love them too. Thanks for the review and I hope you stick around.  
**Azral:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! I'm not sure if Taivas could fight against a lightsaber…hmmm…something to think about. Yes, Jack rocks. Thanks for reviewing!  
**CrystalSkywalker:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! Thanks for reviewing my story MORE THAN ONCE!! I'm glad that you like this!  
**Fflur Cadwgawn (formerly Mercedes Whitefox)**: YAY! YOU'RE BACK!! Yeah, well, I ran out of ways to hide clues and Gilgamesh is one of the best poems to hide letters in. And it gives Indy something to think about when he's not puzzle solving or pining for Marion. Thanks for the review and I hope to see you around.  
**Han-Skywalker**: Yeah, I do enjoy making his life miserable. (evil laughter) what "made up" words are you talking about? As for that description of what's coming…well…you'll just have to wait and see…thanks for the review by the way…  
**Hope's Tears**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! Ah, the wonderful world of crossovers…where I am, effectively, the omnipotent DarkX, master and commander of all that I see…(EVIL LAUGH!!) uhm…yes…ignore that…as for all the, uh, grammar, well, yes, I am a math person, so…thanks for the review and I do hope you stick around.  
**Iccle Fairy: **Thanks so much for the review. I really enjoy writing it and I'm glad that you like reading it.  
**Jedi X-Man**: Thanks for reviewing! PLEASE update A New Mope, I can't wait to read more.  
**Kitsune no Shiobu**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! Thanks for the review and I hope you stick around.  
**Marine Major:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! Thanks for the very kind review and I hope you stick around.  
**Obi's Second Cousin:** Thanks for the review. And yes, I do torture Han so much (evil laughter).  
**Senator Elizabeth Organa**: Glad to see you back in action. Thanks for the very kind review. Han and Leia have always (and will always) have a weird relationship: their both too headstrong for their own good. I try to keep their relationship cannon, but I don't write romance (see my profile) so I usually end up emphasizing the more…shall we say…snippy side, I suppose. But I incorporated a little mush in this chapter so…next: Taivas. Taivas is the cat-lady, cyborg, thief, with anger issues, who works for Darth Nyeri (Carron) along with three other cyborgs, and was recently sent on a secret mission to track down the gang. As for how she fits into the story, well…read on.  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: Yeah, I really hope that I finish this before I graduate next year. Fifteen chapters…one year…I'm gonna have to write a boatload. No, earth is not entirely out of the picture yet, I mean, Indy's gotta go home _SOMETIME_ in the near future…I'm glad that you're enjoying it and thanks for the review!  
**Twisterblake**: Thanks for the review, mate.

**A/N**: Okay, so after two bouts of flu, mid-terms, finals, projects, tests, papers, paperwork, loss of creativity, several weeks of writers block, AND my computer breaking, I have FINALLY finished all nineteen pages of chapter 34. That's right, NINE-TEEN-PAGES. So, I'll shut up and you all read.

**Chapter 34  
****m0r3 num63r5**

Taivas dropped out of hyperspace far enough away so that she could get the lay of the land, so to speak. It was a skill that had been drilled into her head since she was a kitten: know your surroundings. Know the geographic area: where are the hiding places, the ambush places, the escape routes. What's the fastest way from point A to point B if enemies are at point C and the quarry's at point D? Sitting just outside the system's pull gave her the few moments of familiarity with the star, planets, and moons that would spell the difference between a successful mission and ending up dead. She paused and scanned the system looking for movement of any kind; seeing none, Taivas grasped the controls and gently guided her ship in.

The third moon hung still and silent around the gas giant. Its surface reflected the light of both the sun and stars to make a silvery mirror in the dead space. She flew low in orbit, scanning the surface for anything of interest; particularly the monument that Jones and his team first went to. A blip of granite came up in the northern hemisphere that had high levels of carbon dioxide and monoxide, indicative of humanoid presence and spent rocket fuel. Twisting in her flight path, Taivas slid towards the granite blip, descending slowly as she drew near. There was obvious disturbance from what looked like a modified YT-1300 freighter and several small shuttles. Taivas set her ship off a ways so as to not disturb the precious landscape. There was the possibility of valuable clues in the dust that she was no where near foolish enough to cover.

Snagging a respirator and a small toolkit, Taivas slid out onto the moon's surface.

DXVJKE

Considering the amount of alcohol he had consumed, the levels of dehydration he was suffering from due to the near incessant vomit, and the number of pirates that might still be outside and ready to destroy his ship, Han's day started off pretty well. No serious headache, though there was a dull pounding somewhere down the back of his neck. No wounds, though his right fist was aching slightly. And, based on the gentle humming coming from the general direction of the engine room, no problems with the Falcon, though he knew for a fact that that never really lasted. Still, all in all, not a bad start for the day.

The only possible thing that really bothered him (beyond finding where he threw his boots without having to bend over and really look for them) was the long stretches of blackness that dominated his memory whenever he tried to think about the last two (was it really only two?) days. Trying to recapture exactly what happened made the dull ache in the back of his neck swell and spread to other areas of his head that made thinking incessantly difficult. Eventually he gave up and focused on finding, and then putting on, his boots. He lumbered down the hallway and slid into the living area with the hope of scrounging up something edible. He didn't even notice the room was occupied until he was mostly through the door. Not that the other occupant had even noticed him.

"Hey Indy." The archeologist snapped his head up from the data screen where he had been sitting for the last few hours.

"Hey, Han. How are you feeling?" Indy carefully looked for any sign of the drunken fervor that had gripped the pirate the day before.

"Okay, I guess." Other than a thinness through his cheeks and a touch of darkness under his eyes, Indy had to agree.

"Dizzy?"

"No. Hungry…and kinda…" Han trailed off.

"Kind a what?"

"Confused? I don't know. I—I can't really rem

ember anything after sitting down in front of Jack Swallow and thinking that this was an incredibly bad idea. It's just all kind of…blank. I don't even know if we won or not." Han plopped down on the couch with a slump of defeat hanging around his shoulders.

"We won," Indy replied, matter-of-factly.

Han looked up: "Really?"

"Yeah. Got the next piece of the puzzle. Decoded it. Found the next location and we're on route now."

"Where?"

"Isosis."

"Iso—the moon with the grave on it? Where the ARC's attacked? Why the Sith are we going back there?"

"Because 1) that's where the clue told us to go. And 2), the ARC's haven't shown up since Corescant. You and Luke either shot them all to hell or they lost us when I was recuperating. Either way, we're going to Isosis."

"Well, seeming how you've got everything under control, maybe I should just go back to bed."

"YYNNNRrrrrroonnnnnnn aauuhnnn eeRRRnnnnn," Chewbacca stated, quite forcefully, as he entered the room.

"Yeah, well, the evidence says otherwise," Han growled, gesturing towards Indy, who, still unable to speak Wookie, had gone back to his research.

"HHoowwwUURRRnnnn Ehhhhhttttttttttrr nnnnnnnhhhhhhh." Chewie moved towards the holo-chess-set and lightly clipped his friend on the back of his head.

"Watch it, fuzz brains, I've still got a headache, ya know." Chewie merely grunted in reply and began a game against himself. Left to debate whether it was worth the effort to move to the replicators for some kind of food, Han stared off into space for a bit before something caught his eye.

"Hey, Indy? You, um…you've got some dirt or something on your face."

"snodrd," Indy mumbled, absentmindedly, still engrossed in his research.

"What?"

"I said it's not dirt. It's a bruise. From where you hit me."

"I hi—I hit you?" Han sat back and rubbed his jaw as if he could feel the impact. "So how come you didn't hit me back?"

"You were drunk."

"And?"

"I wasn't."

"…And?"

"And…I'm not going to hit a guy who's dead-on-his-feet-drunk when I'm mostly sober. Come on, I do have SOME sense of civility." Han looked like he was going to refute that when his eyes locked on the doorway at a sound he had been aching to hear since he sat down.

"Hey Indy, is—" Leia strode into the living area and paused as she realized that the object of her query was staring at her. Redirecting her address, she leaned up against doorway and playfully glared at Han: "Well, look who finally decided to get up."

"Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes," Han replied, first beckoning and then gently pulling her down next to him on the couch. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Now, why would I be mad at you?"

"Because, apparently I went around slugging people yesterday and I was worried that you were one of those people…" he looked up at her sheepishly, prompting a decidedly wicked glance from Leia.

"Han, if you had hit me yesterday, you wouldn't be alive right now, mkay?" She leaned in and pecked him lightly on the cheek. "You feeling better?" her voice changing from ice-cold-deadly-princess to gentle-and-very-worried-girlfriend.

Indy cut in before Han had the chance to reply: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Don't give him sympathy. He's the one who decked me, remember?"

"Yeah," Han said, turning briefly from Leia, "Because you had the brilliant idea to change places right before we go waltzing back onto the Black which, wait a minute, was you're idea too."

"Well, just consider it payback for that stunt you pulled on Tattooine. Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to appear to hold an intelligent conversation with a walking carpet?"

"Aarraauuuh errna—" the Wookie started before Indy cut him off with a I-know-exactly-what-you're-saying-even-though-I-technically-can't-speak-the-language-so-don't-start-look.

"Yeah, but you didn't get drunk because of it," Han snapped back.

"No, I only got shot at, chased down, shot at some more, and, you nearly lost my hat."

"Your _HAT_? _I_ played drinking games with one of most notorious pirates in the galaxy, who would probably not hesitate to KILL us all and you're worried about losing your _HAT_? You said you had some sense of civility."

"I DO! I'm _…_extremely civil toward that hat."

"THAT MAKES NO—!"

"Uh, guys?" Luke stuck his head through the doorway. "Hate to break up this scintillating conversation, but we're here."

DXVJKE

The moon's surface was utterly barren, undisturbed since the last visitors had left. The tracks leading to and from the YT-1300 were obvious, easily followed, and completely validated the report that Taivas had. There were five different sets, with the fifth multiplied by at least eight. Those, Taivas immediately dismissed as the ARC's, but, as their return trip carried with it set number four, it gave her some clue as to what Jones's shoes looked like. Of the other three, set one was ridiculously light and little, which meant they belonged to the female, Organa. Set two were smooth-soled, with a poised and collected gait, a dead giveaway for the Jedi. Set three by from the process of elimination must belong to Solo. They were military fashioned boots, old and well-worn, not that distinguished except that the gait, the way pressure was favored on the inside of his right foot and the left turned out ever so slightly, and the force he put into each step was _exactly _identical to Jones's footprints. Taivas carefully scanned, analyzed, rescanned and reanalyzed both sets of tracks to make sure that this was not an error. The sets of tracks _were_ identical except for the shoe worn. Both men had the same way of walking, which made their physical similarities all the more eerie. Jones and his people headed directly to the large stone set up ahead of her and, as there was nothing else to look at in the dust, Taivas followed slightly off to the side so that she wouldn't disturb their footprints.

The monolith did not in any way justify the notion that this was their target until Taivas rounded it and saw the stone's face. The intricate, perfect, masterfully done carvings that rose up from smooth, polished stone, were stunning. She scanned over, recognized, and translated the poem trying to puzzle through its meaning. For the most part, it seemed like the kind of epitaph that most humans would write: forlorn, flowery, entirely too showy for its own good. But, the last stanza was certainly not typical; it was a warning and, to one who knew the aftermath of what happened here, it was a clue. There was something very curious, and thus worth investigating, about this grave, and that warranted a closer investigation.

One of the only things that Nyeri had ever been good for would have to have been her eyepiece. Nyeri had replaced her left eye with an ocular scanner that had more settings than an average person would know what to do with. Taivas, though, was certainly not average and she knew exactly which settings were useful in which situation and would use them appropriately. Take now, for example. The monolith, to the unassisted eye, was simply some large, carved, grave marker that had been sitting on a dead moon for millennia. Taivas's eye saw more. She saw that, along the base of the stone, there was a hairline crack between the grave marker and a piece of metal beneath it, which should not exist if the stone was simply thrust into the earth. She saw that the normal collection of dust that accumulated in the various crevices of the letters had, in some places, been disturbed in places that corresponded to a person of average height running his fingers across the surface. And, she saw that those same finger-brush marks were up at the top of the stone where the perfect surface had been shorn away at a decidedly sharp angle.

A corner was missing. And it was not missing by any natural causes. _I should have noticed that earlier. _Taivas snapped her eye back to "normal" vision, reached up to grasp the top of the boulder and swiftly pulled herself up on top of it. Straddling the top she peered closely to the broken corner and noticed something very, very interesting. The contours of the hewn-off edge had very, very thin lines running around and between them, crisscrossing like a spider web, and making the corner look less like an accident and more like a very sensitive pressure lock. She pulled out her canteen and poured water slowly across the top of the corner, the eyepiece tracking which cracks sucked the water down and which let it flow off. She then pulled out a very tiny set of picks, ranging from needle thick to hair thick, and began to gently apply pressure to the cracks that allowed the water in. Nothing happened. Frowning, Taivas was about to pull her picks out of the rock and try a different approach when a sharp crack sounded from beneath her. She watched in amazement as the metal base she noticed earlier swung downwards to reveal a conical shaped room.

DXVJKE

"So, where exactly are we going to land?" Han asked when the group moved into the bridge. "The grave?"

"No," Indy replied, matter-of-factly, "The Jedi wouldn't have hidden two clues in the same location for fear of someone finding them out of order. Besides, the pedestal and the North Star were the only mechanical devices in that room, there was no other place to put anything."

"And again, I ask where are we going?" Han slowed the Falcon's descent as they neared the grave.

"Can you scan beneath the planet's surface?"

"Depends. What are we looking for?"

"Any kind of cavern, tunnel, hollow space, something like that."

"You think it's underground?" Leia asked.

"Has to be. There aren't any structures above ground or we would have seen them the first time we were here."

"Scanning an entire planet's gonna take a long time," Han grumped. "Any idea where we should start?"

"My guess would be the moon, and then scan in bands between the two poles."

"Great."

DXVJKE

It was the proximity alert that snapped her out of scanning the room. Taivas had meticulously gone over every square inch of the rounded cavern, examining the intricate carvings for any kind of pattern that would explain where Jones had gone next. The pedestal, with its open top, had yielded no clues at all, beyond the soft feathery strokes that came from a brush of some kind and the slight knife marks on the hatch top. Now, standing on the north side of the cave, a soft buzzing sound emanated from her work bag. Taivas didn't even attempt to look at the tiny device connected to her ship's navigational systems. She knew exactly why it was buzzing, and without a moment's hesitation leapt out of the cavern and scaled the top of the monolith. She carefully reversed her override, closing the cavern mouth, and bolted to her ship.

The proximity alert was a device she added to her arsenal long before meeting Nyeri. It was a thin, black, finger-sized, off-site computer stick that could easily be hardwired to any ship's (or building's) scanners. When the scanners picked up any energy readings, life signs, or movement of any kind, all of which are ruinous to a thief, the stick would vibrate and Taivas would book it. She had no idea how many of those alerts had saved her hide, or how many were utterly false alarms that wasted valuable snitching time, but she didn't care. The stick worked, and that's all that mattered.

Now, safe in the confines of her ship, she had the opportunity to investigate just what had set off the stick. And what she saw just about blew her mind.

DXVJKE

Han absolutely hated scanning. It was boring, dull, boring, slow, boring, tedious, boring, time consuming, boring, stupid, and boring. There was nothing to do but scan and wait and scan and wait and scan and wait some more; Chewie did most of the scanning anyways, which left him with nothing to do. At all. The Wookie usually could make the best of such a tedious situation, but his being so engrossed in the process of scanning and waiting reduced any conversation to a series of non-committal grunts.

BORING

Hour two rolled by and Han was ready to shoot himself if only to having something to think about other than scanning and waiting. He had never had so much free time before and had no idea what to do with it. Usually when they had dead time it was because something broke, they couldn't move, and every precious second was spent furiously trying to fix whatever the hell was wrong before whoever the hell was chasing them found them and blew them into however the hell many pieces it took to coat the galaxy in a fine layer of Falcon dust. Now, there was no pressing time factor, no enemies breathing down their throats, and nothing was broken. Not even the hyperdrive.

The hyperdrive. Han sat up, his brain suddenly alive with the prospect of something to do. "Chewie, keep me posted, I'll be down in the engine room." A non-committal grunt sounded, but Han didn't care. He had the chance to actually _do _something.

The engine room looked like the contents of a pack-rat's garage coated in silly string. The engines themselves, long, torpedo shaped, canisters, were walled in on all sides by huge computer processors that balanced an controlled the reactions needed to guide the Falcon in and out of hyperspace. Strung between the computers and engines, snaking along the floors, dripping off the walls, and tangled in skeins everywhere else were a myriad of cables and wires. These transferred energy, control commands, information, and data from and to every part in the engine room and then to every part of the ship.

And, it was from these cables that all the Falcon's problems emanated. They were constantly popping loose, snapping, corroding, and generally failing to do their job. "Fixing the hyperdrive" was shorthand for climbing across a spider's web of wires to find the one stinker that wasn't working. Han was doing this now, but with a more general purpose: to test the power and data flow of each cable, shore up the connectors, and lock them in place so they Sith-blasted things wouldn't move. It was a good plan with a good purpose that went quickly down the drain at cable number 12.

Because it was at cable number 12 that Han electrocuted himself.

DXVJKE

The Falcon's flight path was so low that they had to be looking for something on the moon's surface. Trailing them would waste power and possibly lead to her detection. Waiting here and tracking them via scanners is the most logical option tactically. So why the kreth did she want to follow them so bad?

Taivas balled her hands into fists to tight with frustration that she nearly cut her palms. She had been sitting patiently inside the cockpit of her small ship in the hopes that the Falcon would rocket off somewhere, or at least stop for a while, or do _something _other than fly in low orbits around the moon's surface. Now, two hours after the proximity alert went off, she was beginning to wonder if there was any merit in staying inside the ship. It was getting a little too close for comfort inside the cockpit. With nowhere to go. And nothing to do. She began carving intricate patterns in the armrests and trying not to think about the walls closing in.

_Why the hell is a master-thief born claustrophobic anyway?_

DXVJKE

Han woke up to the hazy, swirling world that almost convinced him that he was drunk again. Drunk and caught in an earthquake because something kept shaking him again and again and again.

"Ahnnnugh eorah mnnnnn?"

"Chewie?" he slurred. His eyes finally began to focus on the fur-covered face of his closest friend, who was gently shaking him awake. "What the Sith was I drinking?"

"Gnnnnn oren auuHGAnnn. Aura INNNnnnn eoHAnn ddhn gnarrrrraaaAAA."

"Electrocuted?" _Well that explains why everything's numb_. "How long was I out?" He tried sitting up only to be held down by too-strong-to-mess-with hands.

"Ahnnnn ennAHN uh innnnn ornen. E gNNhh fwahh HHHHHggg. Ore e gnnnH DDhn ureFF hwaug?" Han slowly curled his fingers into fists as requested and tried to rehash what had happened. He had hit the bulkhead. Hard. Something had flung him back with the force of a freighter moving at Mach 2. Something that made every nerve cry out in absolute agony and mercilessly yanked the air from his lungs.

"There was a power surge through the number twelve cable…" he muttered at last.

"Ara, mnnn uhD GNHd ehth fuuurRREEnnn." Chewie sounded almost sheepish as he checked Han for signs of a concussion or broken bones.

Han looked up sharply: "Since when do the scanners pull through 12?"

"IIIreth kn dhukFF hnn e TQUrekkkkk ahhhnd."

"Oh." Han slowly tried to sit up again, almost shocked that the Wookie let him, and instantly regretted it as a rush of blood pounded through his still-sore head. "Ohh…I think I'm gonna puke."

"Shturnn e arrrrrrNHH agg d knn, huh huh huh." Han grinned up at his friend.

"I could always get Luke to clean it up."

"Eornn uuth Fhf thnaf eh agg e NNHnn durutH uh. Eorah nnnHHng thut e Ahnnn, ahhDDha unn." The Wookie helped the pirate slowly get off the ground and regain his balance.

"Thanks. So, how's the sca—?"

"_Han?"_ the intercom systems carried Luke's voice down from the bridge.

"Yeah Luke, what's up?"

"_You might wanna get up here. There's something you gotta see."_

"Right. On our way."

DXVJKE

"Ice caves," Luke said, gesturing to the topographical map that the computer's scanners had made. "Or what's left of them at least. We aren't getting any traces of water at all, so these must have melted and dried out years ago."

"Try millennia ago," Indy countered. The Falcon had landed a few minutes after Han got up to the bridge. The team was seated in the living area, discussing the terrain and bringing Han and Chewie up to speed on what they found. "The kind of ice needed to make this kind of tunnel would be so thick that melting it all would take tens of thousands of years. The glaciers were probably leftovers from the formation of this planet…but I'm not a geologist. The point is, the caves are old enough to fit our timeline."

"And they're the only subterranean structure we found," Leia summed it up. "I propose we explore them."

"Agreed," Han stood to go gather their gear.

"R2, 3PO, the terrain'll be too rocky for you to come," Luke explained to the droids.

"That's quite all right, Master Luke. I assure you I had no intention of spelunking through those caves."

Luke grinned: "Just keep a light on for us." He followed the others down to the cargo bay area. Han was checking the respirators while Chewie handed out tool kits. Rope, grappling hooks, lights, gloves, water, emergency rations, and blasters were doled out. Indy added it all to his already stocked bag, accompanying his journal, brush set, revolver, and a large piece of oilcloth to wrap their soon-to-be-found clue in. Respirator set securely on his face, Han opened the cargo door and the group proceeded to the cave entrance.

The cave was less like a cave and more like someone had poked an angular hole in the ground with an auger. It was funnel shaped, gently sloping downwards and inwards until the team had to walk single file (and Chewie had to duck low) in order to continue. Flashlights bounced and reflected off of the crystalline cave-walls, worn irregular and smooth by the intense and constant glacial pressure.

There was absolutely nothing of note: no carvings, no marks, no traces that anyone had ever been down here at all. And after nearly one solid hour of walking, Han was beginning to doubt whether this was what they were looking for. But, being at the rear, he had very little say in anything. The only good thing about this dull monotony of walking was that it had finally loosened up all his sore muscles, nearly erasing the damage caused by being flung into an unyielding bulkhead. Unfortunately, it also dulled his responsiveness and he slammed into Chewie.

DXVJKE

_They stopped?_ Taivas leaned forward to check her scanners. But they only continued to show the Falcon as landed near the northernmost pole of the moon. She slowly clicked a claw against the helm, thinking.

_Why did they stop? _It could have been for any number of reasons. Maybe there's some kind of problem with their ship. Maybe they're planning their next move. Maybe they're going to sleep.

_Maybe they found something?_ Maybe.

_But what?_ _The next clue?_ Or it could be a dead end. Or an old pirate base…they have been rumored to hang out in this sector of the galaxy. Or it could be another one of those grave sites. The important thing is, what do _I_ do now?

_If I move, they may see me._

If I stay, I may lose them_._

_If I wait, I'm going to go crazy. _She stopped the slow clicking and stared incessantly at the little dot on the screen. _Why did they stop?_

DXVJKE

"Ow! What the hell—Indy? Why'd we stop?" Han massaged the bridge of his nose and seriously considered the possibility of trying to maneuver around the giant, squished, uncomfortable, and now irritable Wookie to get up near the front of the group. It was not a pleasant prospect, but it was better than hanging back here. He couldn't get any information back here. _Why am I back here in the first place?_

"Found something," Indy's voice drifted back.

"Found what?" Han hollered.

"Come up and see."

"Easier said than done," he muttered, squeezing by Chewbacca's furry mass to get up closer to Indy and the others. The tunnel looked like it had for the past two hours: smooth, slightly shiny, too-narrow for comfort, walls, floor and ceiling, nothing that should cause such an abrupt stop. Until Han got closer to where Indy was standing and saw the tunnels. In essence, they were just holes in the wall, two on the left wall, two on the right. The way that the holes branched off the main shoot, it would have been entirely too easy to miss them. _Good thing Indy's paying attention,_ he thought. _I would have missed these and then we really would be plodding around here forever. _

"They look manmade," Indy commented, stooping to examine one of them.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, leaning slightly over the archeologist.

"If this had been carved by a glacier, the corners would have been worn as smooth as a river stone, like the rest of this tunnel. These edges are sharp, hard, like they were cut by something. And the way that they almost blend in with the rest of the tunnel suggests that they were carved in such a way to be unnoticeable."

"You think that Corban or one of the others made these?"

Indy looked up at the Jedi: "It's possible. Or they could have been carved by smugglers or pirates or refuges or soldiers or they were part of some weird religious…" he waved his hand ambiguously about, "Whatever. The point is, it's not natural and worth checking out." He turned back to examining the walls near the floor, practically ignoring the others.

Han, tired from two hours of slogging through never ending tunnels, took this opportunity to slump against the wall. The respirator mask itched. His lower back and feet hurt. He was sure that half the moon's mass in dust had wormed its way into his boots, and he was bored. And, he was still suffering, albeit very slightly, from the hangover's aftereffects. Sighing, he rolled his neck and happened to glance up at the ceiling for one brief moment. Blinking rapidly, Han clicked on his torch and shone it up at the tunnel roof and stared at it for a long minute.

"Hey, Leigh?" The princess turned around to face her ceiling-gazing boyfriend.

"Yeah?"

"Now, maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, but…isn't that that language? The one the other clues were written in?" Every head jerked up to the ceiling where, sure enough, a few wispy lines of carving could be clearly distinguished in Han's torchbeam.

"Can you read it?" Luke asked.

"Yes…" she turned. "Han could you point your beam to go straight at it? The shadows are throwing me off." Han obliged, scooting forward so that the light hit the letters dead on. Indy whipped out his journal and was preparing to write when Luke nearly shouted.

"Look! There are carvings just inside each of the tunnel mouths." Leia leaned over to see what Luke was pointing out and deciphered the glyphs.

"That's the symbol for the number 1." She moved over to the next tunnel on the left side. "Number three…and on the right are seven and eight." She turned around to face further down the main tunnel. "This says zero, up here."

"Odd assortment of numbers," Han commented from the floor.

"Yes, but they kind of make sense based on the clue in the middle."

"Which is?" Indy prompted.

"_What digit is the most frequent between the numbers one and one thousand?"_

DXVJKE

There is a saying on Kamino that, when one expects a gentle breeze, there comes a hurricane; but when one is prepared for the hurricane, a drought is eminent. Dibbs was mulling over this proverb as he stood before Jack Swallow and wondered whether, before entering the Captain's quarters, he had been expecting the breeze or the hurricane. There was next to no reaction from the Captain to Dibbs's news that the rum was gone, and that was unsettling the first mate. No anger, no sorrow, no curses, no…no nothing. He just sat there, head in hands, staring down at the desktop, not even acknowledging that Dibbs had said anything.

"Cap'n? Y'awl right, sair?" No response. "Um…well, Aye'll uh…Aye'll be on the bridge, sair…iffen ye don't mind…" Still no response came from the Captain, not even movement. Dibbs slowly began to back out the door, keeping his eyes on Swallow, just in case he decided to…react…somehow…at all. He slid out the door, closed it quietly, and heaved a sigh of relief. He had just delivered the worst news in the universe to the most deadly pirate in the universe and had somehow managed to escape with his life. He had barely taken one step when the Captain finally erupted.

"MISTER DIIIIIII-HHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIBBBBBBBBBBSSSSS!!" Flinching slightly, Dibbs returned to the door.

"A-Aye, sair?"

Apparently, he had forgotten the second portion of that particular proverb: there are no droughts on Kamino.

DXVJKE

"_Another_ number puzzle?" Han groaned. "I thought that we were done with those."

"Apparently not," Leia said. "I guess that the answer to the puzzle is the number tunnel that we take."

"Makes sense," Luke agreed. "But which number?"

"Huh," Han grumphed, "Suddenly, I wish the droids were here…"

"Oh, come on, Han, we can figure out a little number puzzle. We did the last time, right?"

"We had the droids last time."

"Han—"

"Guys!" Luke cut in. "Puzzle. Need's solving. Suggestions?"

"Eeeeerrr auurrrUUUUnnnn Ihhhhnnnn dhhhkkkkKKKnnnnnn?" Chewie started.

"Translation?" Indy asked.

"He said we should start writing out the numbers, count out which digits are used the most," Han answered.

"That would take forever," Luke groaned.

"It's a start. We can at least look for a pattern if we had some numbers to work with." Indy turned to a new page in his journal and started listing out numbers while the others sat and stared, trying to come up with the answer before Indy hit 1,000.

In retrospect, it did not take forever to arrive at the answer. In fact, it took roughly fifteen minutes, mostly because Indy started complaining of a cramped hand and, taking a break, passed the task of writing to Leia.

"Where did you stop?" she asked, staring at the long lists of symbols ten columns wide.

"Here, at three hundred sixty-two," he pointed at the last number at the bottom of column ten.

"What number system are you using? This isn't what we use in the Republic."

"It's what we use on Earth," Indy sighed. He took the pen from her and pointed to the top of the first column. "This is one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and so on."

"Huh. So eleven is here."

"Yeah, one ten and one one. Twelve is here with one ten and two ones."

"Thirteen is one ten and three ones?"

"You got it. Basic place value system on a base ten." Leia began to copy down the numbers, finishing column ten and beginning column eleven when she paused.

"Hey, Indy?"

The archeologist grunted in reply.

"Each of these symbols is used an equal number of times until the next digits place."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, between one and nine, each digit is used once. At ten, one is used a second time and zero is used once. Eleven gives us four ones, twelve is five ones and the second time two is used, thirteen is the sixth one and the second three, fourteen is the seventh one and the second four. When you get to twenty, there's the third two and the second zero. Twenty-one is the fourth two and the…thirteenth one and the fifth two. Twenty-two is the sixth and seventh two. Twenty-three is the eighth two and the third three. Each time one of the original digits is used in the tens place, they're used an equal number of times as the one was used in the ten's place. The same holds true for the hundreds."

"So you're saying that every single digit is used the same number of times between all the others?"

"Right. Between one and ninety-nine, one is used twenty times, two is used twenty times, three is used twenty times, and so on. But, at one hundred, because it's a new place, one gets used a twenty-first time. It restarts the cycle."

"But if the same pattern is used, then between one hundred and nine hundred ninety-nine, every single digit would get used the same number of times."

"Right again. But, then you get to one thousand, and one gets used one more time than all the other digits."

"And then the cycle would repeat again."

"Yes, but the riddle doesn't go past one thousand," Leia retorted, triumph shining in her eyes. Indy froze and then slowly grinned.

"Leia, you are an absolute genius."

"Why, thank you."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up a minute," Han said, standing. "Go over that again?"

"One is the number we're looking for," Leia answered, also standing. She checked the symbols on the ceiling again and said "This way," striding confidently down the second tunnel on the left. Luke and Chewie followed, leaving Indy and Han at the far back.

"Your lady's brilliant, you know," Indy commented, sliding his journal back into his bag. Han gave him a sidelong glance, trying to find any kind of romantic undertones in that compliment.

"I know," he finally answered.

DXVJKE

Reasons still escaped her, but now she had decided on a course of action. Taivas turned on her flight computer and began to skim along the surface of the moon. She used the moon's gravitational and magnetic fields to mask her ship's engines and came up relatively close to where the Falcon landed. Her scanners indicated that there were no life forms on board, but there were energy readings, which could mean anything. The droids could still be on the Falcon, the scanners could still be active, there could be some kind of homing beacon, or someone could have left a lamp on, she didn't know. And not knowing required extra caution.

Surreptitiously, she began a scan of the area, trying to find just where Jones and his party had gotten to, or what they were looking for. After nearly ten minutes of moon dust, moon dust, moon dust, and oh look, more moon dust, the scanners pinged out the entrance to a system of caves with an entrance not twenty feet from where the Falcon was now resting. Getting past the Falcon, and whatever was on inside the vessel, to investigate the caves would be difficult, but not impossible.

With a goal firmly fixed in her mind, and all thoughts of claustrophobia dissolving in the background, Taivas opened up a very specific set of computer commands and began typing away.

DXVJKE

It was nearly twenty minutes of walking before the tunnel stopped. No doors, no side tunnels, no markings, no explanation, just no more tunnel. That made Leia, still somewhat triumphant in her discovery, very frustrated. And that made Han, still somewhat worried that Indy was trying to steal his girl, very edgy.

"I just don't get it," Leia vented for the eleventh time as the group investigated the abrupt wall. "The answer to the riddle from earlier had to be one, and this _is_ tunnel number one. So why isn't the clue here?"

"I don't know, Leigh," Han conciliated for the eleventh time. "I'm sure you got the right answer. There must have been a cave in or something."

Indy and Luke, studiously ignoring every spoken word for the eleventh time, were meticulously examining the tunnel. It had slowly widened roughly a hundred yards back in a narrow funnel shape, resulting in the cave they were standing in. The cave was, at its widest point, roughly twenty feet long ten feet high (much to the pleasure of Chewbacca, who could finally stand erect), and slowly bowed at one point to look like a very large bulb. On the right side of the cave, when one was standing at the entrance, was a large rock pile, which supported Han's cave-in theory. On the left side was an odd looking nub roughly five feet off the cavern floor, and it was this that Indy was examining, while Luke sifted through the debris on the right side. The nub was the size of his fist with a slight dip where it met the wall so that it looked like a worn, cupped hand. Indy pulled out his brush and began to remove the build up of dust so as to examine the nub closer.

"Hey, Indy?" the Jedi called over the still venting Leia. The archeologist left the nub and came to join Luke at the rock pile. "Look at this." He was pointing to a small section of the rocks he had been excavating. Pressed against the cavern floor was a black rod, definitely metallic, some two inches in diameter. There was only about a hand's breadth of it exposed, with the rest buried under the rubble.

"A pole?" Indy queried. "Can you get it out?"

"I can try," Luke said. He cupped his right hand around the exposed part of the pole, closed his eyes, and centered himself in the Force. With a high pitched grating/screeching sound that reminded Indy of fingernails on a chalkboard, the pole began to shift out from under the rocks. The grating sound echoed through the cavern until, with a final grumble, it slid out. Luke exhaled sharply and Indy picked up the five-foot long pole. Quickly dusting off the rod, he revealed the now familiar glyphs.

"Leia, you're on," he said, handing over the rod to the now silent, now staring, princess. She fingered the script, silently translating, and frowned.

"What is it?" Han asked.

"Another riddle," she scrunched her nose, "Ready?" Indy nodded in reply, pen poised over journal. _"Which is heavier: a pound of feathers or a pound of iron?"_

Indy stopped writing: "That's it? What kind of riddle is _that_? A five year old could answer that."

"So what is it?" Luke asked, confusion on his face.

"Neither. A pound of feathers and a pound of iron both weigh the same: one pound." Glances were exchanged.

"_That's _the answer?" Han asked, voicing the collective thoughts of everybody else.

"I know, ridiculously easy, right?"

"…Um, yeah…easy…sooo…now what?"

"There has to be some way to activate whatever hidden doorway is in here using the answer. And I'm pretty sure that this rod has something to do with the activation or they would have carved the riddle on the wall or ceiling like before."

"Okay," Luke said, standing up off the floor. "So if this rod is the key or part of the key, we're looking for a lock that it fits in, right?"

"Something like that," Indy said.

"Any idea what it would look like?" Leia asked.

"I have no idea. It could be a whole that the pole fits inside. It could be a crack or a fissure that we're supposed to widen using the pole. It could be anything, anywhere."

"So, we look for anything that's out of the ordinary," she summed up and began giving orders. "Chewie, you've got the best view of the ceiling, so look up there. Luke, keep sorting through the rocks, something might be buried here. Han, take the empty wall, opposite the doorway we came through. Indy, you go back to the wall you were looking at earlier, and I'll search the floor."

DXVJKE

It took some twenty minutes for Taivas to complete her set of commands, gather the gear she needed, and then activate the routine. She used the time to record the strange energy reading that was emanating from the Falcon and save a copy of it to her ships sensor network. When the system she designed activated it, it would take this copy and relay it back to the Falcon through a piggybacked signal. In essence, the Falcon's computers would be reading the exact same thing, i.e., nothing at all, no matter what really happened on the ground outside.

The Falcon was now blind, giving the thief all the time, and freedom of movement, that she needed to set up phase two of her little trap.

DXVJKE

Stooped over the large floor, Leia was regretting her choice of inquiry. Her back hurt when she leaned over, her knees hurt if she knelt; she was dirty, tired, dirty, thirsty, dirty, dusty, cramped, aching, and dirty. And what did she have to show for all her work? Nothing. There was absolutely nothing on the floor. No scratches, no marks, no chunks missing, no holes, no glyphs, no nothing. Leia had covered the majority of the floor that didn't have someone standing on it. She worked around Chewie and Han and Indy and Luke (and the large chunk of floor that was currently under the rock pile Luke was working on), even moved around some of the rocks that had spilled over from the ruined wall, still nothing.

Han was pretty much in the same boat. He had tried to be as systematic as he possibly could, scouring the wall for any possible scratch or mark that could have some use in solving the riddle. But the problem with walls carved by water is that there were no marks to speak of. The walls were smooth, the marks, if there were any, were so smooth they were indistinguishable from the walls, and they smoothly sloped down to meet the floor. There was nothing, nothing at all, and Han was growing in frustration by the second.

Luke was sitting in front of land-slid wall, eyes closed, trying to keep his frustration down so as to remain centered in the Force. He had given up trying to move the rocks after unearthing the rod, not from physical exhaustion, but from fear of causing an even bigger landslide by tugging at the wrong rock. His original intention of trying to find which stones were not load bearing led to trying to find out if there was anything behind them. What he found was solid rock. No doors, no levers, no glyphs, nothing but one wall of unbroken rock with another wall made of broken pieces sitting in front of it. Sighing, Luke tried to expand beyond the wall right in front of him to the other walls, floor, and ceiling.

The ceiling was giving Chewie a very sore neck. Yes, he was the tallest and, yes, that gave him an advantage because he would be able to examine the ceiling closer, but that didn't negate the fact that he still had to tilt his head in order to see the bloody thing and that gave him a very sore neck. But, that sore neck actually produced results. Running around in a complete circle, some six feet in diameter, was a thin, hairline, fracture. Chewie had been examining it, to see if it did make a complete circle before he discovered a second set of hairline fractures. These slid in s-curves, at sixty-degree increments, from the outer edge of the circle until they connected at the center. Deciding that, though this was nothing like what Indy said to look for, this must be important, Chewie started to announce his discovery.

"Hey guys, I found it." Heads turned over towards Indy, who, stepping away from the hand-shaped nub, beckoned the others over. "There's a thin crack around this rock, I think it's supposed to move."

"So push on it," Han suggested, moving over to them.

"Nuh-uh. This is very delicate crystallized sandstone: too much pressure and it'll snap."

"Then how do we activate it?"

"The rod," Luke said, holding it up. "We have to balance it on the rock. That's how the riddle answer fits in. Equality between the weights, balance."

"HHHHHAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!! UHRnnnnnnnnuuuu hhhhhhhhhdddddddkkk huuuuuddddhhhhyNNNNNNNN ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhkkkk wuuuurrrhhhh."

"Wha'dhe say?" Indy asked.

"Stand back from the center of the room," Han translated, "He says there's a set of cracks in the ceiling that could the door this thing opens." Leia looked up nervously and quickly stepped to the edge of the room. Luke pulled the rod over and placed its middle very, very gently on top of the rock, where the cupped part met the wall. The metal rod tipped back and forth slightly before finally coming to rest on a perfectly straight horizon. The sandstone dipped down with a soft click, followed by a very loud grinding coming from the ceiling. Six stone triangles slid back to create a three-foot opening in the ceiling.

Luke walked over to stand under it. His narrow torch-beam revealed another cavern some ten feet above the original opening. He crouched and Force-leapt up, snagging the rim of the ceiling/floor, to hoist himself inside. The others could see his beam jumping off the ceiling and reflecting off the walls, before Luke leaned over again. "Floor's sturdy. Come on." Han cupped his hands together and motioned Leia to step up. Smiling, she placed her hands on his shoulders, stepped up and grabbed her brother's offered hand.

"You next, Indy." The archeologist repeated the step up and also got pulled in through the hole. Han turned to the Wookie: "You okay staying down here?"

"Wwwaaaarrrrraaahhh ahnnn huuuuuuuuuNNNNNhhhhhh."

"Good, 'cause I'm not giving you a leg up."

"Huh huh huh huh, ahnnn uuuurrrrrrrr aahhhhAAAHHHhh dddhhhKKKKkkk uuuunnnn, huh huh huh."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up fuzz-ball."

"You coming?" Luke called down. Chewie held out two huge paws for the pirate to step into and practically lifted Han through the ceiling's hole. The room was four sided, with actual corners, sloping up to the curved ceiling. Each side had a large medallion set in bas-relief from the actual wall with a different carving on each stone face; on the ceiling was a very small line of glyphs.

"Leia?" Indy asked, shining his torch on the glyphs. The princess studied it for a moment before replying.

"It says _'Composite'_."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Are there any numerical glyphs anywhere in the room? On the medallions?" Leia scanned briefly over the cavern before shaking her head.

"No, this is the only writing of any kind. I think it's the only clue we get."

"You'd think that after all the riddles they've had us answer," Han said, wearily, "They'd come up with something more elaborate than 'composite'."

"No, there's gotta be something else," Indy replied. He moved over to one of the medallions to examine the carving. It looked like an elongated, upside down, kite, some five inches in length, one inch wide. No other marks were on the medallion, no lines around the outside, and no cracks on the inside. The medallion on his right was exactly the same, except that it had two of the kite-shaped carvings, one upside down and the other right side up, touching at the short ends' vertices. The next one on the right had three of the carvings, two in the same pattern as the one he just looked at and the third kite positioned so that the two short sides were butting up against the short sides of the other two kites. The last medallion had four kites positioned to make a four pointed star, short ends to the center and long points sticking outwards. He stopped to make a few notes in his journal. "It's a arithmetic progression…"

"A what?" Luke asked, overhearing the archeologist's muttering.

"The carvings, they're an arithmetic progression: a growing pattern. Each carving has one more point than the one to the left: One point, two points, three points, four points. What I can't figure out is what an arithmetic progression has to do with composition."

"Maybe it has nothing to do with a pattern," Han spoke up. "Maybe it's just four choices."

"Then why not just give four random choices? Why put them in a pattern? And why make the end result a star shape?" Indy frustratingly spouted.

"What's the point? The answer is going to be the same no matter how they make the choices. _That,_" Han declared, pointing at the completed star, "Is the one we want."

"You sure?" Leia asked.

"Sure, I'm sure. Four's the only composite number here. They could have done glyphs or dots or lines or anything to represent a number, but the numbers would have been the same. One, two and three are all prime numbers, four isn't. So that's the one we want."

"Wait," Indy said, "A composite _number_? That's what they want us to look for?"

"What else could it be?" Han countered.

"What's a composite number?" Luke asked.

"Nobody teach you basic number theory on Tatooine? A composite number is a number that has factors other than one and itself. One, two and three are all primes, non-composites. Their only factors, the only numbers that multiply together to make one, two or three are one and the number itself. Three's only factors are one and three. Two's only factors are one and two. One's only—"

"We get it, Han," Leia cut in.

"Right, four's factors are one, four, _and_ two. It has a factor other than one and itself, that makes it composite, so that's the one we want," he finished and pointed at the four-pointed star.

"Okay," Indy agreed, walking over to the medallion in question. He snapped out his knife blade and began to gently scrape along the edges of the star, searching for any kind of crack he couldn't see. At the tip of the fourth point, his blade dipped inward ever so slightly. Indy slowly applied pressure to the newfound fissure until there was a very soft click. The medallion itself gave way, almost clattering on the floor, before Indy caught it.

Behind the outer medallion was an interior one, roughly the same size, but, rather than having a star on it, it held a ruby. The deep-red stone was about the size of a silver dollar and ringed in the familiar ancient text. Putting the capstone on the floor, Indy slid his blade around the outer edge of the rock, sliding it free of its prison. He then put the capstone back in place, and folded the next clue up in oilcloth before sliding it in its bag.

"See, Han," Leia said, triumphantly, "You're great at this type of thing." The pirate grinned sheepishly and walked back over to the center whole.

"Can we go now?"

DXVJKE

The walk back always seems faster than the walk over. Partially because they were passing through now familiar territory, partially because they weren't paying such close attention to their surroundings, and partially because they were tired of being in the cave. But in any case, the group was moving quickly through the caverns, heading back towards the Falcon.

They had put Indy, who insisted on carrying the new tablet, in the middle of the line so as to protect both him and the clue from anything in the caverns that they may have missed the first time through. Chewie was still at the back, Leia and Luke were flanking Indy, leaving Han at the very front. This was perfectly all right with him as he was the most anxious to get out of the caves and back to his baby. Silently mulling over all the possible things that C3PO could have done (and all the possible things Han would do the protocol droid if anything were awry), Han was pretty much on auto-pilot as he stomped back through the caves, and practically ignored everything going on behind him.

"But if I have a section to work on now," Leia was protesting, "Then it'll take even less time to translate when we get back to the ship."

"Leigh," her brother protested right back, "If we have to stop for Indy to dig out, unwrap, clean off, and then hand over to you that big hunk of rock, the time we save when we get back to the Falcon will be completely eaten up."

"So why can't he just unwrap, clean, and all that while we're walking?"

"Because, _he_," Indy cut in, "Is sick and tired of all these caves and wants to get back to the Falcon ASAP."

Leia started walking backwards, puzzlement on her face: "Ayhsapp? What's ayhsapp?"

"Sorry, Earth expression. It's an acronym for As Soon As Possible, A. S. A. P., ASAP."

"I'm all for ASAP, too," Luke put in.

"I still don't see how—"

"SHHH!" Han hissed. He was frozen up ahead, blaster in hand, crouching behind a bend in the tunnel with head cocked as though trying to hear something.

"Han?" Leia turned back around, "What is—"

"SHHHHHHH!!" He turned back over his shoulder and beckoned with his left hand for them to move closer. The others quietly crept up to stand in a tight line behind him. Suddenly, do to the acoustics of the cave walls, they could hear what had Han all up in arms.

Someone was moving around near the entrance of the cave.

DXVJKE

"Nyeri, I want to know what the krething drekk happened to Taivas, and I want to know RIGHT NOW!" Carron swiveled his chair from the starfield to face the red-headed Herisson, who was currently storming through the study with a look that could kill.

"You seem a bit agitated, Aerik, whatever is the matter?" Aerik leaned on the large desk and glared pure, unmitigated, hatred at the Sith.

"Where. Is. Taivas?" he snapped out each syllable with a deadly bite. Carron leaned back to study the Jägenkov a moment before answering.

"I sent her on a mission."

"Without us?" Hatred turned to outrage.

"Yes, without you," Carron answered, taking the tone of patient-parent-who-has-to-deal-with-an-unruly-uncivil-riled-and-emotional-teenager. "She conveyed to me in no uncertain terms that she wanted to do something or leave. So I let her do something and _then _leave."

Outrage turned to shock: "She's no longer Jägenkov?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Not yet at least. Taivas is still working for me, albeit covertly. I gave her one mission to do and then she is free to go about her own life."

"What mission?"

"It's none of your concern."

"IT IS OF MY CONCERN! If she's still Jägenkov, then her wellbeing is damn well my concern. Now, what mission did you send her on?" Carron stared at the Herisson, weighing the pros and cons of telling him before giving the slightest sigh.

"I sent her to do some reconnaissance for me. Her mission was to find and attach herself to Jones's party as long as they are searching for the Lost Valley of the Jedi. Once they find it, she is to contact me, give me their location, and then she's free to go."

"You sent her to spy? She's a thief not a—"

"I know she's a thief, Aerik. And I'm using that ability for her, and my, own advantage." His lips curled into the slightest bit of a smile. "She's stealing their trust."

DXVJKE

Han whipped around the corner, blaster leveled, and barked out "DON'T MOVE!" The figure at the cave's mouth spun around, dropping a large crate on the floor in surprise. Chewie leveled his crossbow at the intruder and Luke swung his torchbeam to show them who they were aiming at. The figure flinched away from the bright beam, holding up a hand to block the light, but they got a good look at their adversary.

She was female, that much was obvious, and she was tall. Dressed in an olive-toned jumpsuit, she had orange skin and braided amber hair from which two curved cat-ears protruded. Half her face was covered with a black metallic mask, the other half was scrunched up in a squint from the light.

"Would you _please _get that thing out of my eyes?" she half-growled in what Indy could only describe as an Oxford accent.

"Drop your weapons," Han barked back. In a very begrudging movement, she unholstered a standard looking blaster and dropped it on the floor.

"There, happy?"

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Luke asked, calmly.

"My name is Taivas, and I think it's obvious what I'm doing here." She gestured to the crates on the floor.

"Since when are Macskians in the smuggling business?" Han growled.

"Does it matter? Apparently, I'm not in it for very long, so just take the stuff and go, already."

"We're not here for stolen goods," Leia huffed.

"Then why are you in an abandoned cave, on an abandoned moon, circling an abandoned planet, in the middle of pirate territory?"

"One could ask the same question of you."

"Um, hello? Smuggling hold?"

"And that's the only reason you're here?" Han demanded.

"Why _else _would I be here?" she looked around at the four humans and one Wookie who were just standing there. "So…are you going to take the stuff or not?"

"Oh, I intend t'take the stuff, luv." Jack Swallow, surrounded by some thirty pirates, walked into to cave, pushing past the confused looking Macskian. "An' den, I intend t'shoot Dr. Jones there so full o'holes that every last drop o'rum 'e stole just leaks outta'im."

DXVJKE

So…Jack's back. Taivas is, apparently, a smuggler with a mission. Han can do math. Chewie is…Chewie… Leia is, obviously, brilliant. Luke…Luke didn't do a great deal of stuff… and…Indy rocks. Speaking of Indy, has anyone seen the new movie yet? I haven't. going away to a conference this weekend so I won't be able to watch the new movie until next Friday (AAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGG!!) but. On the bright side, Sci-Fi, TNT, FX, AMC, TBS, and FMC have all been running back to back Indiana Jones movies and Spike ran all six episodes of Star Wars so I've been getting my Harrison Ford fix as of late.

Yeah…so…summer's here. My computer's fixed. And I have a job. Yay movie money! But it means that writing time will be down. So…no idea when the next chapter is coming. But I'll tell you for sure that there's going to be a pretty flippingly cool firefight. So…anyway. Have a fantastic summer. Go see the new Indy movie. Give geezer-Indy some luvvvvv. Later dudes,

DarkX


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I own Taivas, the crew of the Paler Black, and the thing with Wookie fur. Nothing else. OH! and my lawyer has just informed me that the title to this chapter belongs to the music group Montgomery Gentry. Not mine. Just saying...

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:

**Fflur Cadwgawn**: Thanks for reviewing. And for your expertise on the subject. I am not an archeologist, so I'm not sure exactly what is involved outside the movies. Glad that you're enjoying this.  
**FebruarySong:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! I'm glad that you think I captured the essence of Indy. And I'm glad that you're enjoying my writing. And I'm glad that you're reviewing more than one chapter. Hope you stick around for the end! (btw, it took me like three weeks to figure out that your nom de cyber is a Josh Groban song…)  
**Iccle Fairy:** Thanks for reviewing! And I'm glad to know that I'm able to hook you. :-D  
**Ilikedan:** Thanks for reviewing. And no, no earth yet. I promise that Indy WILL go home…eventually. But I need to send him to half a dozen different planets still, I have tons of clues for him to solve, people to fight, places to see, etc. etc. Anyway, Indy's a tough guy and he adapts to different situations pretty quickly, so I wouldn't worry about him too much. As for him being away from home, well…I'll say nothing except that Marcus is going to have _words_ with him. Ahem. Ahem. But as for what he and Sallah actually think, you'll have to wait to the end of the story to figure that out. So stick around.  
**Isis the Sphinx: **HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! I'm so glad that you like my fic. I know Luke's emo and I'm really, really bad at writing him in the first place. Sorry. And I'm sorry about all the typos. I am a dyslexic math person. The fact that there're no misspellings in this sentence is a miracul…dang. Thanks for reviewing and do stick around!  
**Jedi X-Man**: Thanks for reviewing and do take your time on ANM. I know what it feels like to have writer's block (guilty look).  
**Obi's Second Cousin:** Thanks for reviewing! Yes, my style has changed. I've been working on this fic for nigh on three years, you've gotta give me a little bit of wiggle room. And if you didn't like the last chapter, I don't think you'll like this one either. (see author's note below). But I hope you will stick around, I've got some fun stuff planned for the rest of the story!  
**Phygmalion:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! Thanks so much for reviewing and I'm glad that you're enjoying my fic. Yes, I came up with most of the riddles myself. Some of them I've heard before and tweaked slightly to make it fit this fic more, but most of them are original. Glad that you like them!  
**Rain the Revenant**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! I'm so glad that you like my fic and the riddles (they are my little babies). Glad that you think all my characters are…in character…man that sounded lame. Oh well. Stick around and thanks for reviewing!  
**Saisei no Suzaku:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! Thanks so much for reviewing and the only thing I'll say is that you'll have to wait for the end to find out.  
**SwordMasterZ:** Thanks for reviewing! And I'm glad that you like it. Yes, it is dragging on but I will begin to clip the pace a bit more soon.  
**Xeno Major**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!! And of course Indy has to find Nazis. It isn't Indy without Nazis. Thanks for reviewing!

**AN**: Right, so I haven't updated in like FOREVER!! And I apologize. I meant to have this chapter out sometime back in July but I could not write it out. Seriously, I rewrote this chapter about six times before something clicked (and I'm still not happy about it). I know I promised a firefight, but that edition of Ch35 got thrown out almost immediately, so, you'll have to put up with this. Again, sorry for the uberlong delay.

**Chapter 35**

**Gone Like a Freight Train**

"_Why else would I be here?" she looked around at the four humans and one Wookie who were just standing there. "So…are you going to take the stuff or not?"_

"_Oh, I intend t'take the stuff, luv." Jack Swallow, surrounded by some thirty pirates, walked into to cave, pushing past the confused looking Macskian. "An' den, I intend t'shoot Dr. Jones there so full o'holes that every last drop o'rum 'e stole just leaks outta'im."_

Shocked silence reigned in the room. Indy looked down the barrel of the blaster to Swallow's smirking face. Behind the pirate were nearly fifteen heavily armed pirates whom, though they still looked like something out of Earth's history, the archeologist didn't want to mess with. Silently praying that none of his friends would do something stupid and get them all killed, Indy shifted his gaze back to Swallow and plastered his face with what he hoped was a nonchalant attitude.

"So, what, you're gonna just stand there?" Swallow's black-rimmed eyes narrowed as the smirk melted off his face.

"I'm takin' in the moment," he snapped.

"Well, you're moment's taking too long." Indy squared his shoulders. "Just shoot me already."

"Notchet." Swallow lowered the blaster and smirked again. "First things first. Dibbs!" The Paler Black's first mate stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Cap'n Swallow, bein' a fair an 'onest man of upstandin' character, 'as decided that ye'll die…_after_ the rematch." Indy's face screwed up in confusion.

"Rematch? What rematch?"

"I've never bin drunk unner the table," Swallow declared, "An' I'll be a scurvy prole t'letche go down t' Davy Jones afore I settl the score. Now, drop yer weapons, all of you, and no sudden moves."

"Why do we have to go?" Leia demanded.

"Because, m'dear," Swallow said, "in the interest of bein' fair, I will have my witnesses t'both the competition an' yer execution." He turned slightly and caught sight of the Macskian trying to blend in with the rock face. "You too, kittycat." Two pirates lurched forward to catch her forearms and push her, protesting, amongst the rest of the group.

"But I don't even _know_ them!" She was slammed full force into Indy, before trying to push back to Swallow. "I mean, I can understand why you want to take all of them, but why me? I have nothing to do to them and—" Taivas stopped abruptly when three blasters were pointed directly in her face.

"Shut up," one of the pirates growled.

DXVJKE

"This sucks," Han declared to the general public, which, at the moment consisted of himself, Luke and Chewie. Leia and Taivas had been shunted into a separate cell of the Paler Black's brig and Indy was off Force-knows-where. "I swear, if those pirates even touched the Falcon, I'm gonna…" he clenched his fists in frustration.

"Do you actually think that they got into the Falcon?" Luke asked.

"If they were regular pirates I would say yes, but with Swallow…I have no idea." Han slumped down on one of the benches. "I don't suppose you have some way to get us out of here?"

Luke shook his head: "They took my lightsaber with my other gear, and I don't want to use the Force except as a last resort."

"Well, if Swallow as serious about killing us all, your last resort is gonna come up fast."

"Do _you_ have any ideas about getting us out of here?"

"Not without a crowbar, some thermal detonators and a pretty krething big distraction. We need gear."

"UUUrrrhnnnnn augg nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. htt UUUUthhkkkkkk nn rrrHHHH."

"We'll get your stuff back, I promise," Han looked over at the Wookie. "And how the hell can you feel naked? You're covered head to foot in fur."

"AAArrraaaRRRaaarrr HHHHHHHHttt nnn kkkKKKKK huuuUUUUnnnnn ettt—"

"Okay, okay stop it. I seriously do not need that mental image, okay? And what are you laughing at, flyboy?"

"Nothing," Luke grinned. "Nothing at all." His smile faded: "I hope that Leia's okay."

"Knowing her, she's fine."

"Yeah, but they said that she's going in with that cat-lady. I'm just worried about her."

"Don't be. Leia's a five-foot, one-inch CR-1 blaster cannon with a hair trigger. She stood up to your dad, for Sith's sake, I think she can handle one measly smuggler."

"Still, I wish I knew what she was doing."

DXVJKE

"What are you doing?"

Leia had been leaning patiently back against the bulkhead after being unceremoniously shoved in the brig cell. She had been a bit peeved about having to share her cell with the smuggler, but at least the cat had been quiet. Until now that is. Now, with an eerily disconcerting chhhhhhhhKKKKK that made Leia sit bolt upright, Taivas severed her leg off from the knee down.

"Attempting to get us out of here," the Macskian muttered, yanking part of her thigh and her left kneecap off.

"How? You going to kick down the door? Because I think that would be more effective if you left your foot on."

"Sarcasm is _not_ helping right now, lady." An orange ear and a left bicep joined the dismembered body parts on the floor.

"Sorry," Leia huffed, leaning back against the wall. Taivas began to assemble the body parts with the familiar ease of someone who's done this a million times before. "Um, how are you going to walk with only one leg?"

Taivas sighed: "I'm going to put my leg back on. I only needed it off to get at the calibraters I hid in there."

"How can—?"

Taivas held up the leg so Leia could see inside it. "It's mostly hollow. The servers and cables are protected inside the shaft itself, which is much safer than the cable bundling that droid manufacturers use. I don't really need the outer plating, but it looks somewhat weird to have one normal looking leg and one that just a silver rod with a foot attached at the bottom. So, I had it plated and use it to store important things."

"Like calibraters?"

"And lock picks. Spare credits. Bits of string. Vitamins. You never know what might come in handy." Leia sat back again and mulled this over; Taivas went back to constructing whatever it was she was constructing out of her body parts. A few minutes passed in silence before Leia spoke again.

"I'm sorry that you got pulled into this."

"Eh, I would have crossed Swallow sooner or later. At least this way I have someone to talk to."

"How long have you been a smuggler?"

"Actually, not that long. I recently decided that it was time for a career change and decided that this would be lucrative enough for me to retire in a few years. And if not, well, smuggling provides job security, which is something I didn't get in my old job."

"What was that?"

Taivas turned just enough to look at Leia out of the corner of her eye: "Professional assassin." Leia's eyebrows shot up. "But, like I said, I'm out of that job. Too much hassle, and the malpractice insurance was abominable."

"Malpractice?"

"Oh yes. I mean, if you didn't kill the target straight up then there's doctor's visits, hospital bills, physical rehabilitation, psychological therapy for near death experiences, and the bloke'll absolutely refuse to pay out of pocket so the insurance companies pass the bill on down to the Assassins' Guild and they make us buy malpractice insurance. It's a bloody rip-off if you ask me, but if we don't pay the insurance premium then the entire Guild comes after you and if there's one thing that you learn about being an assassin is don't tick off the other assassins." Taivas heaved a pretty big sigh of frustration. "But, that's all behind me; now I'm in the smuggling business. And, when we get out of here and I get back to that moon, I'll make enough off that cargo to live quite comfortably for the rest of my life."

"What exactly were you smuggling?"

"Guns, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Well…no honest smuggler would be caught dead without a crate of guns to run Macsk knows where. It's a matter of public appearances, you know. But gun and drug running is petty change compared to the real stuff."

"And that is?"

"Booze and tech. The stash of stuff that you people caught me with is only about twenty percent guns. Seventy nine percent is Cassandra Choholl, and I mean the good stuff that people'll sell their first-borns for."

"And the other one percent?"

Taivas leaned in conspiratorially: "Cloaking devices."

"So? They've existed for years. Hell, you can buy them cheap off the black market."

"Ahh, but does the black market have a cloak that can work on an X-wing?" Leia's eyes widened.

"That's—that's impossible! That technology doesn't exist anywhere! Not even the Empire could cloak something that small."

"Yeah, well, the Empire isn't the Assassins' Guild."

"You stole it from—"

"I don't consider it stealing," Taivas cut in, "I consider it…getting my insurance premiums back." She slid her lower leg back into place and gingerly stood up, testing the weight to make sure that the connection was sound. "Now, let's blow this joint."

DXVJKE

Indy was pacing. And, had his mind not been fixed on something entirely different, that would have worried him. Pacing, in his opinion, was what happened when you were so obsessed over something that you lost control of what you body was doing. He had always prided himself on being in complete control over what he was doing at any one time. He could leap over spike-filled cliffs, run away from speeding boulders, slide under closing rock doors with just enough room to rescue his hat; survive falling into snake pits, fist-fighting gigantic muscle-bound Nazis, being drug beneath trucks, being squished into submarines and tied to stakes and facing the wrath of God (and that was just in a two week period!), all because his body was firmly under the control of his brain. But now, his feet decided to pace back and forth and back and forth while his brain was off on holiday. This was not a good situation but, as has been stated, he wasn't exactly paying attention.

If one were a fly on the wall of his cell, one could have a very interesting game of guess-what-Indy's-thinking. And, indeed, the small flies that were congregating on the walls were not only having interesting games of guess-what-Indy's-thinking, they were taking bets. As of this moment, "What kind of alcohol am I going to endure?" held the best odds at 2-1 for. Other questions were: "How am I going to get out of here?" (4-1 against), "What are the others up to?" (5-3, against), and "Why does it smell like green cheese in here?" (20-1, against). One small fly had placed his life's savings (three dried up raisins and a piece of green cheese) on "Why the hell are all these flies staring at me?" and was currently facing odds of 1,129,716-1 against. If he won, he would be an incredibly rich fly. If he lost, he would only be poor for about five minutes (flies, after all, have incredibly brief life spans).

Indy, completely oblivious to the betting ring going on outside his consciousness, was fixated on one, and only one thing: his bag.

Rather than let it fall into the hands of whoever they met at the mouth of the cave, in case of overwhelming odds, Indy had carefully slid off his bag and stowed it carefully behind that last bend. The next clue, the last one, his journal, pens, digging supplies, emergency rations, string, pocket knife, Marion's whiskey, and all the other important junk he had collected over the years was now sitting on the surface of a dead moon. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now…

Now he would give anything for the familiar weight of worn, patched, stained, and comforting leather. Indy sighed and stopped pacing. No sense in pining after something he would go get later. He was sure of that. They would get out of here, somehow, and they would get back to the moon, somehow, and he would find his lost bag. Right now, he just had to wait. He was good at waiting.

Indy leaned back on the wall and stared straight in front of him, until something moved and caught his eye.

"Why the hell are all these flies here?" he murmured, unaware that he had just significantly increased the fortunes of one, rather prescient, fly.

DXVJKE

Leia shifted from staring at the orange and olive, box like device, made from cannibalized parts of her cellmate to staring at the Macskian herself. Cyborgs had always made the princess a little bit nervous. The thought of slapping processed metal and circuits on top of organic flesh had always given her the heebie-jeebies. She admitted that having cybernetics replace destroyed tissue was a good thing, in very select cases, like Luke's hand, for instance. But if Taivas's implants were the cause of a massive accident, there wouldn't have been enough flesh left to save. The only reason why she would have _that_ much metal plugged into her was if she had purposefully chosen to become a cyborg, and that was just plain creepy. People should not be able to take themselves apart and make…whatever the hell Taivas had just made.

The Macskian was just standing there, tapping away at the box and mumbling to herself. Leia decided that a five minutes silence between Taivas's declaration of leaving and them actually leaving was long enough.

"Um, Taivas? How exactly is that going to get us out of this cell?"

"It's not," she answered turning. "Getting out of here is a piece of cake, it's navigating around afterwards that get's people caught."

"What do you mean?"

Taivas paused before replying: "Okay look. Any artificial structure in the galaxy requires two things to function: power and air. The power needs to go to practically every habitable room in the structure and the air needs to circulate freely. Circulating air needs large spaces to move in, you can't just try to shoot it through tiny little pipes. And even if you could, someone had to put all those pipes together and I don't see any sentient rats running around the cosmos. So, the easiest way to escape from any prison anywhere is," she pointed up at the ceiling, "Through the air ducts."

"But that duct is covered by a steel reinforced grate; you can't get through it without an acetylene torch."

"You mean people without iron reinforced bone claws coated in laser sharpened, high-density plutonium covered carbon alloys need an acetylene torch." She slowly exposed the tips of her claws and smiled. "Getting out is not the hard part."

Leia eyed the glinting silver: "So what is?"

"Navigating. And that's why this," she held up the box, "Is so important. Now, do you think that you can boost me up to the ceiling?"

DXVJKE

"Okay, so how are we going to get out of here?"

"I told you, Luke, I need a crow bar, thermal detonators, and a big distraction."

"There has to be _some_ way for us to get out of this cellblock. Come on, Han, think!"

"I _am_ thinking. And I'm thinking that if we ever intend to see daylight again, I need more resources than you, me, and Chewie. Can't you just…I don't know, yank the door out with the Force?"

"It doesn't work like that and you know it."

"Well what the hell good is having mystical powers if you can't yank a door out of the wall?"

"Ahnnn, hhhhUUUUUUKKKK nnnt ttttGGGhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh unn eaaaarrrrrrrrg gHHHHunnnnnntt."

"Great idea, fuzz brains. Except we don't have handcuffs, there aren't any Storm Troopers around here, and you're already locked up."

"We could call for help and when they open the door—"

"Luke, pirates don't respond to calls for help. And if they do, they come with snacks and chairs to sit and watch the show."

"We could climb out the air ducts."

"You see that grate up there? Covering the air ducts? It's a steel reinforced grate. Nothing save an acetylene torch can cut through those bars and that is definitely not in our list of assets."

"What if…what if I pretend to be dead?"

"How does _that_ help our situation?"

"Well, they have to dispose of the body somehow, right? So we just wait until they drag me out of the cell—"

"And down to the engine room to be cremated. Yeah, that's a great idea because having you burned alive is the best way to get us out of here."

"I don't see you coming up with any great ideas."

"I did: pull the krething door out of the krething wall."

"I told you the Force doesn't work like that."

"_Why?!_"

"Because…because the Force is an energy field—"

"Created by all living things, yadda, yadda, yadda. That doesn't answer my question."

"But it does! The Force is…it's life and health, and it should be used to protection, not destruction."

"Yeah, but if we don't get out of here soon, your Force isn't gonna have anything to protect anymore."

"I'm not going to, and that's final."

"Well, FINE!"

"FINE!"

DXVJKE

"So what is that?"

"This," Taivas said, grinning, "Is, essentially, a cartographer. You see, the power conduits, the other thing that every sentiently-created-structure needs, nine times out of ten they're housed in the air ducts. I hook this little baby up to the conduit, it traces the power flow throughout the entire ship, and, boom, instant map."

"So we can navigate the entire ship through the air ducts."

"Bingo."

"Okay," Leia said, moving beneath the grate. "But I'm not sure how long I can hold you up."

"It won't have to be very long." Taivas placed the cartographer on one of the benches and stood behind Leia. "I really just need a boost up long enough to grab hold of the bars. Could you bend over a little?" Leia hunched and placed her hands on her knees for better support. "Ready?" Taivas asked, placing her hands lightly on the princess's shoulders.

"Ready."

Taivas stepped up on Leia's shoulder and pushed upwards. Leia grunted slightly at the pressure but was relieved when it only lasted a second. She stepped back to see Taivas hanging on the bars with one hand and cutting open a hole with the other. Her claws made quick, precise, and deep cuts in the metal sheeting around the bars.

"I thought you were going to cut the actual bars," Leia exclaimed.

"Why? It's much easier to cut out the ceiling around them. No one thinks about reinforcing the ceiling. Now, stand back." The Macskian had made cuts around three of the four sides of the grate and the fourth, weakened side, slowly bent down under her weight, until it looked more like an opened soup can than an air duct grate. Taivas changed her handholds, dug her foot-paws into the grate and pushed up until she was inside the air duct. She disappeared for a few seconds before her head popped back over the hole.

"Pass me up the cartographer?" Leia picked up the box and lightly tossed it into Taivas's waiting hands. The Macskian disappeared a second time and then stuck her legs through the holes in the grating. Bending over backwards, she offered her arms to Leia. The princess grabbed and pulled herself until she could get a hold on the grating. Taivas helped push her into the air duct and then levered up after her. Panting slightly, Leia grinned at Taivas.

"Now what?"

"Now, we figure out what to do next while the cartographer makes us a map."

DXVJKE

Indy sat bolt upright as the door to his cell slid back into the wall with a soft whooshing sound. Two heavily armed goons tromped in followed by Jack Swallow.

"What do you want?" Indy growled.

"Whot, I'm not allowed t'visit pris'ners in me own ship?" He sauntered in, bottle in hand, and sat on the bench opposite Indy. The archeologist glared at him and crossed his arms. "Look, I just wanna say that, even though I'm gonna kill you, s'no hard feelin's, right?"

"No hard feelings?" Indy bit out, incredulously.

"Good. Glad to hear it," Swallow grinned, stood and swung out towards the door. He paused before leaving: "Contest's in an hour." Indy sat dumbfounded as the pirate captain and his goons left, door sliding back into place behind them.

_How the hell does someone like that get to be a ship captain? _He thought in the silence. _He is seriously a few bananas short of a bunch._ He sat in the silence of his own thoughts for a few minutes as the echoes of the clomping pirates faded into the distance. Finally, Indy stood and slowly began to pace again, walking absentmindedly towards the door.

The door slid open.

Indy stepped back in shock. _They left it unlocked? Are they out of their blasted minds? Who the hell leaves a cell door unlocked? Not even the freaking Nazis were _that_ stupid. _

Cautiously, he inched his head out into the deserted hallway. There was no one there. No guards. No cameras. No devices of any kind, just an empty corridor of silent cell doors. Well…almost silent. Indy slid into the hallway and began walking towards the end of the corridor.

DXVJKE

"We need to get to a communication hub. I can hijack their frequencies and get my ship up here." Taivas laid out her plan of escape while the little box quickly plotted the Black's air duct system. She glanced over at Leia's questioning face and automatically answered. "My ship has a remote navigational computer. If I put a specific signal out, it'll home in on it and come to pick me up, even without anyone to pilot it. Once it gets up here, we get in, and it's smooth sailing."

"It won't get picked up on the pirate's scans?"

"Cloaking device, remember? Besides, something as small as my ship will probably be read as space junk anyways."

"How many people does it seat?"

"Only two. Enough for us."

"No, that won't work. We need room for six."

"Six?"

"I'm not leaving without Han and the others."

"Leia, do you have _any_ idea how hard navigating four humans and a Wookie through the air ducts is going to be? Not to mention that there's no way for us to get off this ship without trying to steal one of the shuttles that they brought us up in and you _know_ that those are going to be guarded. Heavily guarded. It'll be so much easier for just the two of us getting out of here."

"I'm not leaving without them," Leia said, firmly. "If you're so keen on not getting caught, the go ahead and leave."

"And have your death hanging on my conscious?" Taivas sighed: "Come on, let's find your boyfriend."

DXVJKE

"Look, Luke, all I'm saying is that your Force powers are the only asset that we have."

Luke leaned back on the bench and shook his head: "Not unless it's our last resort."

"It _is_ our last resort," Han pressed. "We don't know when Swallow will come barging in here to drag us off to our deaths."

"In about an hour," a voice from the door said. Han and Luke's head jerked over to see Indy leaning in the doorway, grinning.

"Indy?" Luke asked credulously.

"How the Sith did you get out?" Han demanded.

"If you can believe it, Jack Swallow released me. By accident, jeeze don't look at me like that. He left the door unlocked. I heard you two arguing from down the hall and came down to spring you."

"And you didn't stop to think that it could be a trap?" Han was looking worried. "What if he did it on purpose?"

"Why would he do that? We're already trapped here under a death sentence, what more could he do to us?"

"With Jack Swallow, you never know."

"Look, the corridor is completely empty. I say we get out of here while the getting's good."

"I agree," Luke added. Chewie stood and growled his assent. Han looked nervously from Indy to Luke to Chewbacca and back.

"Alright, fine. Let's go."

"Oh yes, do," another voice rang out in the cell. "You'll be fine until you find out that the lift door is electrified." Glances were exchanged and heads turned towards the air vent. Han, who was closest, looked up and into the grinning faces of his girlfriend and a one-eyed cat.

"Leia?"

"Hi, Han. You remember Taivas?"

The cat winked: "Stand back, handsome."

Han studiously ignored her. "Leia, how the hell did you get up there?"

"I'll explain in a second, now, please, stand back." Han took one step away from the grate and practically flinched as a silver knife blade plunged through the ceiling. A high pitched screech echoed through the cell as the knife was drawn across three edges of the grate. It was pushed down by an orange and olive paw and then Leia was gently lowered down to the floor.

Luke stared at his sister before quipping: "Aren't you a little short to be a pirate?"

"What? Oh, right…I'm Leia Organa, I'm here to rescue you," the princess grinned back at her brother. Han and Indy exchanged glances that firmly declared _I have no idea what's going on so let's ignore this whole thing._ Leia turned to Han: "Taivas has a means to navigate us through the Black using the air ducts. If we can get down to one of the shuttle hangers, we can get back to Isosis and the Falcon. But we have to move now."

"Leia, do you have _any_ idea how hard navigating four humans and a Wookie through the air ducts is going to be?" Han asked. "I don't think that Chewie'll even fit."

"He'll fit," Taivas volunteered from the vent. "And this is the only way out at the moment."

"The lift's really electrified?" Luke asked. Taivas nodded in reply. "Han, I think we should go through the vents."

"But—"

"Five minutes ago you were chomping at the bit to get out of here," Luke cut in. "Now we have a way out, so let's go." Han gritted his teeth and said nothing.

"Look, if you people just want to hang out here all day," Taivas complained from the vent, "That's fine with me. But I'd rather not get shot just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So, if you're coming, let's get gone."

"Right," Indy moved beneath the vent, "Luke, can you give me a lift?" The Jedi stooped with cupped hands. Indy stepped up, grabbed the lip of the grate and Taivas's hand to wrench himself up into the vent.

"Leia?" Luke offered. The princess got practically thrown up to the vent where Taivas hoisted her up. "Come on, Han." Still scowling, Han entered the quickly crowding vent. "Chewie?" Luke said hesitantly.

"uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhRRRRRRRRRRRnnnnnnn," the Wookie replied plaintively.

"I could try to lift you with the Force."

"Oh yeah sure, NOW you want to use the Force," Han's voice drifted down.

"HHHHRRRRRRuuuuuNNNNN ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooouuuuuuu."

"Are you sure?" Chewie nodded in reply and gently nudged Luke. The Jedi crouched and then Force-jumped up to grab Taivas's arm. She hoisted him up and then reached back down for the Wookie.

"Come on, cutie, you're next."

"UUUUrrrrrUUUUnnnnn ttttttt NNNNNNNNHHHHHHHH aaaaaHHHHGGGGgggg."

"Yeah, I don't speak Wookie, so just grab my krethin arm, alright?"

"He said he's too heavy for you to pull him up," Han translated from down the vent somewhere. Taivas looked from his general direction back down to Chewbacca.

"Look, sweetheart, I can bench press a small starfighter, I don't think you're going to be much of a problem." Her voice suddenly hardened: "Now get your sorry threkta up here." Chewie hesitated for just a second, before stepping beneath the grate and reaching upwards. Taivas grabbed his paws in a vice grip and pulled upwards. There was a soft groan from the Wookie, a hissing string of cusswords from the Macskian, and then Chewie's chest was above the lip of the duct. Taivas huffed as the group was finally reunited. "There, you see, not a problem. Leia? Where's Leia…ah, yes, what next?" The princess looked surprised.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Well, you're the one who wanted your group. I assumed that you had some…plan or something."

"Are you telling me that you got us up here without a plan?" Han barked.

"Oh no," Taivas snapped back. "_I_ had a plan. Your girlfriend didn't want to go with it."

"Your plan meant leaving them behind," Leia said.

"Well, _your _plan now has us stuck in an air duct, congratulations," Taivas huffed.

"Ladies," Indy cut in, "Please, can't we just move on. As far as I can see the plan is pretty simple: get to their hanger, steal a shuttle, and get back to the moon."

"Yes, that's wonderful," Taivas replied, "Except that the hanger is going to be guarded, that means a fight, and we have no weapons. The ship has a shield that needs to be taken down before we can get the shuttle out of the hanger, that means we have to get down to the engine rooms to cut the power, that means a fight, and we have no weapons. And the Black has massively huge and powerful guns that will shoot us out of the sky before you can blink, and, guess what? We have no weapons." A long silence followed as plans were mentally hashed out and then scratched. Taivas had quite accurately described their situation, and it was definitely not a pretty one.

"Out of curiosity, Leia," Indy finally said into the encompassing silence, "What did you mean by navigating us through the air ducts?"

"I have a cartographer," Taivas answered. She reached into the gloom of the vent and pulled out a really strange looking box. "It connects to the power conduits that run through the ventilation system and creates a three dimensional map of the ship."

"How did you sneak that past the guards?" Luke queried.

"I didn't, I built it."

"Out of what?" Han demanded.

"Parts of my leg, an ear, part of my arm, and a few other…um…pieces." Stunned silence followed before Han finally said what everyone was thinking.

"You're a _cyborg_?!"

"No," Taivas answered sarcastically, "I just like gluing bits of machinery to my fur. What do you think?"

"What's a cyborg?" Indy asked tentatively. Taivas peered around heads to get a good look at the archeologist.

"You've never heard of cyberobotics? What planet are _you_ from?"

"Earth," came the firm reply.

"Never heard of it."

"And that's why he doesn't understand," Han commented.

"Earth has kind of…limited technology," Leia said diplomatically.

Taivas's gaze shifted to the princess: "You mean it's a silent planet?"

"Silent?" Indy snapped out that word a little too quickly.

Leia turned to face him: "Silent as in Earth hasn't established any kind of contact with the rest of the galaxy."

"Oh, yeah, well…that pretty much sums it up, I guess." He paused. "Though there are a bunch of whackos that believe aliens built the pyramids." Voices rang out all at once:

"What's a pyramid?"

"What's a whacko?"

"You _have_ had contact before?"

"HUUUUUUUnnnnnnnnnnnrrrrrrrrr AAAAAuuuuhhhhhhhHHHHHH."

"Uh guys…guys…PEOPLE!" Luke barked to silence the din. "Can we _please_ focus on getting off this ship?" Mental plans were once again dredged up and scratched.

"Most of our problems stem from a lack of weaponry," Leia finally said. "Couldn't we just steal some?"

"This is a pirate ship, Leigh," Han answered. "Pirates don't exactly keep weapon lockers lying around. They either wear them or bolt them to bulkheads."

"All we really need to do is knock out their power systems," Luke said. "That'll cut their shields, weapons, and throw them into such disarray that we can steal a shuttle and get out of here."

"But that means getting down to their engine room and then racing all the way to the hanger before they get their systems on line," Taivas pointed out. "Unless we leave someone behind to do the dirty work…" she trailed off in the face of the obvious. Silence once again reigned.

"I don't suppose you could just blow a fuse," Indy sighed.

"Do what?" Han asked.

"Well, I don't know much about electronic systems, but on Earth, if too much power surges through a line at any given time it'll blow out a fuse, break the electric circuit, and cut all the power flowing into an area. The more power that surges, the more fuses are blown, the more areas are left without power."

"Macsk enthroned," Taivas hissed. "That…might work. I can rewire the cartographer to store and then release a power surge through the conduits. If we time it right and it can get enough systems affected, it may cripple the entire krething ship."

"But we need the cartographer to navigate," Leia insisted.

"Well, I'm not about to burst the bloody thing up now," Taivas replied. "But when we get closer to the hangers, we'll blow them to kingdom come."

DXVJKE

It had taken a few minutes for Taivas to negotiate her way past a Wookie, a Jedi, a Princess, and an archeologist (all while balancing a literally cannibalized cartographer in one hand) to get to the front of the line. The group had decided that, seeming how she was the only person who could read the map, Taivas should lead the way to the hanger. This was fine with her, as at least now she didn't have to stare at anyone's butt. Han wasn't exactly pleased with the arrangements (being stuck behind a seven-and-a-half-foot Wookie doesn't want to make you take a picture), but, because of said arrangements, his quite complaints didn't register with the rest of the group. Luke and Leia were also a bit peeved at the view, but they weren't taken to complaining as much. Chewbacca was still too stunned at being able to fit in the tiny vent to say much of anything.

All in all, Indy was the only person whose mind wasn't consumed with the view. He was still trying to work out just what Taivas was. He had determined that a cyborg, essentially, was a combination of a human_…well, humanoid is more accurate, I guess..._and a droid. _I wonder how the droid parts get attached. It's not like you can sew them on…or could you? Maybe it's like a cast, or a glove you put over the original tissue. But then it would be bigger than normal…I wonder what normal is for her? Or do all her people look like that? And how the hell can someone walk that way? _She had somehow bent her leg abnormally to make it easier for her to move through the vent. It looked almost like a house cat when it sits on its haunches. But she was moving. And she hadn't tripped over her own feet, _Like I know I would…_if_ my legs bent that way…_

They had been crawling through the vent shafts, up inclines, down inclines, around corners, negotiating past fans and over grates for nearly an hour. So far, there was no evidence that the pirates even knew that they had escaped, let alone where they had gotten off to. The boring monotony of crawling through nearly pitch black conditions turned their neat line into a confused pile when Taivas stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Indy, the first to extricate himself from the mash-up, whispered.

"We're just outside the hanger," she hissed back. "Now back off a bit, I need room to recalibrate the cartographer."

"You need any light?"

Her head shot up: "Why, do you have a torch?"

"No, but I have some matches…somewhere." There was a quiet rustling of skin on cloth as Indy searched his person in the darkness.

"What are matches?" Taivas asked in the silence. Indy stopped and looked into the shadows where he thought she was sitting.

"You don't know what a match is?"

"You didn't know what a cyborg was."

"I still don't. A match is a means to make a flame."

"If you have a firestarter, you could have just called it that. And, no, I don't need it. My eyepiece doesn't need light to see."

"Oh." Silence continued again.

"Thanks for the offer though," Taivas spoke again, her voice punctuated by the quiet clicking of circuits.

"You're welcome, I guess."

"Indy?" Han's voice sounded muffled and kind of echo-ey coming so far down the vent.

"Yeah, Han?"

"If you've got a firestarter, I can use it to make a diversion." Even without light, Indy knew that everyone's eyebrows just raised.

"What kind of diversion?" Leia asked.

"A big one that'll give us time to get to the shuttle."

"Right," Indy said, "Luke, can you pass these back?" The Jedi took the small match book and handed it over Leia and across Chewie into Han's hand. There was a pause.

"This isn't a firestarter," Han finally sighed.

"Yes, it is." Indy hissed back.

"No, it isn't. It's a papery, bumpy, stick-y thing. And it smells like rotten eggs."

"That's 'cause it's a book of matches. They're cardboard, potassium chloride, sulfur, and phosphorus. Look, everyone squeeze to the side, I'm coming back." A very uncomfortable, slightly noisy, and a bit painful minute later, Indy was sitting back next to Han and snatching the matchbook out of his hands. "You place the match head against the strip, apply slight pressure and pull quickly." There was a snap, a hissing, and a bright flare of orangey light. Indy held the match gingerly as the fire slowly drifted its way down the cardboard. Indy leaned forward and foofed it out before the flame got to his fingertips. The vent was plunged into a thick darkness and everyone had to blink their eyes a few times to remove the after images.

"Is it possible to light the other matches without having to strike them on the back of the strip?" Han finally asked.

"Yeah, if you hold them against a fire, they'll light right up." There was a long silence.

"Chewie," Han's voice trickled through the darkness. "I think it's time someone gave you a brushing."

DXVJKE

Wookie fur is, under natural circumstances, capable of supporting its own biosphere with all the dirt, bacteria, water, and organic carbon-compounds that the owners pick up in their normal day to day romping through the forests of Kashyyyk. But when the owner lives in space, the organic carbon compounds are usually replaced with traces of refined heavy metals, the bacteria is usually highly toxic if ingested by most sentients, and the dirt is very, very oily. One would think that this unnatural buildup would be harmful to the host, but, in fact, it acts as a very natural defensive shield from all the other stuff floating in the vast reaches of space.

For example, the bacteria that now inhabits Chewbacca's fur is so territorial that any manufactured biological warrior germ wouldn't even have the chance to reproduce, no matter how many of them are launched. The metals built up around each individual hair are so microscopic as to be invisible, but, considering just how much hair he has, they create a kind of chainmail. And the dirt makes a natural barrier to rain, scum, slime, booze, blood, mud, muck, teriyaki sauce (don't ask), and soap.

If ignited, the combination of toxins, oils, heavy metals, and carbon-compounds would produce a smoke so miasmic that burning Wookie fur has been outlawed on eighty-seven different planets (five of which had never even seen a Wookie before) for health code violations. Not even the labor unions, who are more than willing to burn anything from Molotov Cocktails to Ankh-Morporkian water (again, don't ask), won't touch the stuff.

One could, then, quite easily imagine the surprise the pirates in the hanger went through as small brown piles of fur drifted down from the ceiling to release the most dreadful cloud of thick, acrid smoke.

DXVJKE

"Cap'n!" Marianna's voice sang out on the bridge, worry clogging her normally calm voice.

"Whot?" Jack Swallow whirled around, and then wavered a bit as, to his view, the deck kept whirling.

"I've got reports of a fire breakin' out down in the hang'r."

"Well then get the krethin' fire crew out an—"

"CAP'N!" Mr. Candun staggered up on the bridge.

"Whot?!" Swallow whirled again to face him.

"T' Prisn'rs! 'Ay've excaped! Went out trew t'ventilation shafts."

"Then get the bloody vents and get af—"

"_Cap'n!"_ One of the communication screens snapped to life. Mr. Ittegar's thick voice came crackling out of the speaker.

"WHOT?" Swallow whirled a third time and fell thickly against his chair, where he kicked over his emergency bottle of rum which instantly began to stink up the bridge. Not, of course, that the bridge smelled exceptionally fine to begin with.

"_Those effen skruj_–kkkkkkkksssssssskkkkkkk—_tards 'ave attacked down in the 'anger. We can't get the _–kkkkkkssssssssskkkkk—_in'_ _doors open an' we think they're tryin' to steal one of the _–kkkkkkksssssssskkkkkk—_in' shuttl's."_

"THEN SHOOT THEM DOWN!" Swallow roared. "I want EVERY krethin' gun on this krethin' ship trained on those krethin' skrujj eatin' sons of twenty credit wh—" The entire ship went dark and the thick smell of rum was quickly cut by one of burning circuitry that wafted up from the various boards. "WHOT THE BLOODY HELL?!" Swallow's voice cut across the bridge. Silence had the conn.

DXVJKE

Down in the hanger, the thick black smoke swirled around dazed and confused pirates who were trying to desperately breathe. Emergency fire procedures were soon activated and the thick black smoke was replaced with thick white smoke. A wet, heavy, film coated every available surface, thus extinguishing the flaming balls of Wookie fur; it did not, however, remove any of the smoke. If anything, the fire extinguishers made the air even more difficult to breathe, adding sodden chemicals to the already awful air.

Taivas was the first one down into the hanger. Primarily because she was the one who cut the whole around the air duct grate and jumped down. But it was also because she was the only member of the team who could "see". As the others followed her down, she did her best to keep everyone together in the disorienting haze. They grabbed hands in a chain and, with Taivas leading the way, raced over to the nearest shuttle. The door slid open at her touch and six coughing escaped prisoners burst into the relatively clean air with billows of smoke following them.

Han immediately slide into the cockpit and began slamming controls into life. He paused, cussed under his breath and whipped around to face the rest of the gasping group. "I can't open the bay doors from here."

"What?" Luke asked hoarsely.

"The bay doors can't be accessed remotely. Someone's gotta go back out into that…stuff, find the control terminal and open the bloody doors."

"I guess that someone is me, huh?" Taivas snarled from the ground.

"You are the only one who can see," Han said.

"Please, Taivas," Leia whispered. "You're the only one who can see out there." Taivas cast her good eye around at the others and sighed.

"Alright. But you have to swear by everything you call holy that you won't leave without me."

"You got it," Han nodded. "Now hurry."

A second wave of black smoke entered the shuttle as Taivas left. Agonizing seconds ticked by as each person tried to mentally picture where Taivas was and how long it would take her to get back. Cyborg or no, she wouldn't be able to breathe long in that stuff. Han jerked up at the console as the computer beeped at him.

"She's got the doors open." His hands flew across buttons and switches as the shuttle began to roar to life. The others sat, waiting, hoping that she would get back soon. No one knew just how long the power surge would keep the Black offline, and no one wanted to be caught on the wrong side of those guns.

"Come on, Taivas," Leia muttered. "Let's get gone."

DXVJKE

Right, so…cliffies. Everyone likes cliffies, right? …RIGHT?! Um…..right. so, moving on. I really, REALLY didn't like the ending of this chapter. So if you hate it too, you're not alone. I'm sorry, but I really wanted to get this out and move on with the plot, so you're stuck with a stupid letdown of a chapter ending. I'm sorry. Really sorry. Please feel free to rant about this chapter in a review. I love reviews. I don't think that I can stress enough that I LOVE reviews.

Anywho, summer's over, and with it went the New Indy movie (which rated slightly above Temple of Doom and lightyears below Raiders…but I didn't have all that high expectations anyways), the amazing series Avatar: the Last Airbender (if you haven't seen it yet, go out and rent the DVD's, you will thank yourself in three days when you've finished the series), and season 4 of Doctor Who (my best friend and her family got me hooked on that TV show and I hunted down and watched four seasons, nearly 60 hours of campy british scifi in the course of a month. SO MUCH FUN!!). I'm not sure what I'll do for entertainment now, but, hey! School's started back up and I am in for a death of a semester. Hopefully when I can't conjugate another single bloody verb, don't want to think about the eighty thousand projects I should be doing, can't stand another piece of homework, and absolutely refuse to go to the library for another study session, I'll still be able to write Indy.

Hope your semester goes better than mine will,  
Later dudes,  
DarkX


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: Things that I own: Taivas, Malchiel, Nyeri, Aerik, Sk'th, Jack Swallow, all the other pirates from the Paler Black, and the Paler Black.  
Things I do NOT, repeat NOT own: Indiana Jones, Leia, Luke, Han, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO, the Millennium Falcon, and all other Star Wars paraphernalia, all of which belong to Steven Spielburg and George Lucas. Anoia, Billious, and Topaxi belong to Terry Pratchet's Discworld Series as does Dunmanifestin and the Forests of Skund. The 3/17th's occipital left-leaning heterodyne wrench belongs to the wonderful Girl Genius Comics people over at Studio Foglio. (Go Google their work, you will laugh yourself silly.) The title comes courtesy of "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor. One of my all time favorite songs. I would wish that you listen to it if you can. So pretty.

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:  
**Anonymous:** I know, I know. My updates ARE appalling. It's terrible, but if you KNEW the workload that I've been under for the past two years you'd probably be a little more sympathetic. Still, I am TRYING to get this done by June of 2009, when I graduate and go abroad for the summer, so the frequency MAY pick up. We'll see. Anywho, thanks for reviewing and I hope you stick around!  
**Hope's Tears**: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you like that line and the fly. I'll try to put some Han/Leia stuff in later chapters…this one is a little more action driven.  
**Isis the Sphinx: **Glad you like the flies, that is courtesy of Terry Pratchet's Discworld Series. Most fun I have EVER spent was reading through those books. As for my fandoms, Avatar and the good Doctor are just the tip of the iceberg. If I were to list them all out, it would probably be longer than the chapter I'm trying to post. Anywho, thanks for reviewing!  
**Khaur:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!! Glad that you like the story and I'm glad that you like TOD. I didn't. I mean Indy was incredible (as always), and Shortround was pretty funny but Willie was just so cheesy. All she did was scream. GAG! Marion would have been so much better (I was SOOOOO happy that they brought her back for Indy IV). Anyway, thanks for reviewing and do stick around.  
**Psycho8**: HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!!!! Glad that you are enjoying this. Though please do not make your grades suffer on my account. ;D Anyway, I'm really glad that you like this and please stick around!  
**Saisei no Suzaku:** Thanks for the review. Yeah, Taivas is amazing. She's heavily based off of Catwoman as portrayed by Chris Dee (go search for her on Fan Fiction, you'll thank yourself later)  
**SwordMasterZ:** Thanks for the review, mate. And I'm glad that you liked TOD. I didn't. (See rant posted under Khaur's name.) Do stick around.

**Chapter 36  
****He Lives in the Saddle…**

The third moon of Isosis was, by all accounts on every star map ever made in the history of the galaxy, dead. There was no life, no movement, no wind, no atmosphere, no water, no phosphorous, nothing; nothing but compressed grey dust, the testament of planetary creation from an eternity ago. The moon held absolutely nothing of value, no natural resources, and no strategic placement, and should not by any means be getting this kind of attention.

The Paler Black hung motionless above the moon, seen only as a stretch of starless sky, a black mass of nothingness, not moving, just hanging there. The Millennium Falcon was resting on the moon's surface, also motionless, and nearly blending in to the dusty grey surface except for a soft yellow glow coming from the cockpit. A few yards off sat a small jumpership, colorless, lifeless, grounded, and dead, lay undisturbed and uncared for. But these three vessels were nothing but backdrop, as boring as the moon, compared to the screaming ball of twisted metal that was hurtling towards the planetoid's surface.

DXVJKE

"HAAAAAAAAANNNNNN!!!!! PULL THE KRETHING HELL UP!!!!" Leia's voice exploded from the rear of the little vessel, as the princess tried to make herself heard over its death wails. Han was trying his best not to crash them all and practically failing. He had smoke blinded eyes and oxygen starved hands and was devoting all his functioning brainpower to calculating the descent vectors needed to bring them in. And now his ears were suffering, but he couldn't even pause long enough to tell Leia to shut up.

What could he tell her?

That the explosion had ripped apart the engines and blown off their main oxygen tank?

That his guidance systems took their coordinates off the Black, which was offline, so he was practically flying blind?

That nothing short of a miracle was going to get them down on the planet in one piece and, even if that miracle did occur, they didn't have any means to get over to the Falcon?

Or that the cabin was slowly depressurizing in this vacuum and they had about ten minutes of usable oxygen left?

Oxygen her hysterics were draining that much faster?

How could he convey all that while still trying to keep a screaming, metal deathtrap from becoming a silent, twisted grave?

_We need a miracle…_

How the hell did this happen?

DXVJKE

_I am going to kill Nyeri! Freaking stupid krething SITH LORDS! What the bloody krething hell?!?_ Taivas was stumbling back out into smoke filled hanger, trying to scan around the still-burning hairballs, swearing pirates, the activated propulsion system on the shuttle, and the misty haze of useless fire extinguisher, to find the hanger controls. _Find the archeologist, he says, track him, he says, no problems, he says, easy way out, he says. Krething bantha-herding know it all. If I ever cross that skrujjing kullnecker I will hack his—_She slid on a pile of slimy wookie fur and slammed into the console, momentarily forced to stop cussing Nyeri as she turned to the task at hand.

Until she found the console dead.

_Stupid power surge. Last time I EVER take advice from a skrujj-krething voldekked man! And who the gruap knows that Wookie fur burns that well? _She dropped down to the bottom of the console and started ripping cords and wires out to try and short it back online. Unfortunately that meant running the risk of getting the entire ship's power back, but, krethit, that was NOT her problem.

Only it was.

She had to get every last krething one of them out alive so they could find the krething valley so Nyeri would get off her krething back. Frustrated, Taivas started snapping and splicing wires to set up a backdoor that would enable her to keep the pirates distracted if she couldn't drop the power again. That earned her shocked fingers, a pungent odor of burnt ozone in her nostrils, and blinding afterimages in her eyepiece. The pirate who fell over her was almost lucky from her half blinded and very distracted predicament.

Almost. Unfortunately for him, Taivas had been trained to fight by Aerik and that kullnecker was without a doubt one of those twisted individuals who believed that if you woke up with amnesia you should still be able to tear someone's jugular out with a ball-point-pen, whatever the kreth _that_ was. So now her fingers were sticky with blood, which just made them that much more conductive to the electrical charges she was playing with.

Life just was not fair.

_MEN! _The wires snapped with electricity as she went back to her original task of bringing the power for the hanger doors back online. _Just when I think I've gotten away from one of those pribbling dizzy-eyed giglets ANOTHER one has to go and make my life miserable_. There was a quick humming that came from the console as the power came back online. _First Aerik with his drilling… _She stood up and began punching controls. _Then Nyeri with his power-mad-egotism…_ half the controls were still dead so she had to circumvent the main computer array. _Then Sk'th with his stupid cockered annoying AAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ Another circuit snapped and fried her already tender paw-tips. _Now it's these stupid humans!!! You're the only one who can do it, Taivas. I'm not leaving without them, Taivas. I have a great plan, Taivas, let's throw burning balls of Wookie fur down to create a distraction. Yeah, that's a krething great idea!_ The hanger doors finally began to rise, as the main power for the entire ship began to come back online. The Macskian howled in rage and began pounding on the backdoor she created, instantly bringing the Black's main power crashing down. She turned, still cussing, and began stumbling back to the shuttle.

Only to fall headlong onto the Paler Black's fire-fighting teams.

DXVJKE

"Leia! Just give the man time to think!" Indy barked from the back of the shuttle, immediately paying for his comment by hacking up a lung. Still, it got the princess to stop yelling in his ears, and Han was immensely grateful.

Isosis had no atmosphere to speak of, but that did not stop the destroyed engines from eating up what precious oxygen they had left in great, long, plumes of fire. The shuttle looked like a massive metallic phoenix falling to its death. The controls were still unresponsive, and the moon's surface loomed bigger and bigger.

Han was flirting with unconsciousness, trying to focus on landing in an unlandable situation, and his mind was fixed on the too-still form on the floor beside him.

DXVJKE

_They can't be human. They're too krething big. _Iron masks with rubber breathing apparatuses and great glass eyepieces stared down on her prone position. The five giant creatures where covered from head to foot in what looked like chainmail. They held long, thin rods in their hands that where attached via snaking hoses to huge containers on their backs. They seemed almost as shocked at the lithe cat-creature running into them as Taivas herself had been.

Unfortunately for them, Taivas recovered from shock very quickly.

She slid around on her right leg and slashed razor sharp claws at the leg of the closest fireman. Red blood exploded from his calf and a shrieking sound emanated from behind the monster's mask. One of the other firemen pointed his rod at her threateningly as she swooped upward away from the wounded to attack the others. She pivoted on her left leg, curving her right foot towards the rod, swiftly knocking it out of the creature's hands. Taivas was almost ecstatic at the thought of venting all her frustration on these pirates, until the engines of the small shuttle revved.

Quickly, she ducked under one of the firemen, cut between two others and bolted towards the shuttle. She wrenched open the door, threw herself inside, and slammed it shut.

"GO!" Taivas yelled at Han, who needed no second prompting. The shuttle lifted off the ground and began to move forward out the open doors when the floor jerked beneath them.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?!" Han yelled from the cockpit. Taivas glanced out the back viewport: one of the firemen had the bright idea to begin shooting his chemical extinguisher at the engine exhaust turrets. One turret had been completely covered with the thick, quickly hardening, foam, and the other one was still firing, making navigation practically impossible.

"Oh Malchiel," she whispered hoarsely; fear, for the first time since she was a kitten, choking up her brain. Indy lifted his head up to the glass, glanced out the viewport at the metallic firemen, and then staggered towards Han.

"There's some kind of monster out there. They're attacking us."

"Right, well, it won't matter much longer." Time seemed to slow as Taivas turned to try and warn Han. She stretched her arm out to him, trying to get his hands away from the engine controls. If he pushed the engines too hard too fast, the closed off exhaust turret would explode like a plugged cannon.

"STO—!"

The rear of the shuttle exploded in white light.

DXVJKE

Chewie growled something from the floor, but Han was entirely too consumed with the task at hand, and too brain-dead, to even automatically translate the Wookie's speech. The moon was racing even closer and once again, Han tried to grapple with the controls to pull them out of their death spiral. Only this time, the shuttle actually responded.

_Chewie must have fixed them_, he thought sluggishly. His brain was moving as slowly as the controls were. They had some maneuvering room, but it was too little, and there wasn't enough time to really alter the descent vectors. Not that it really mattered. There wasn't enough time to get over to the Falcon. Not enough air.

The exhaust turret had been blocked by hardening extinguisher foam. The pent up heat, fuel, energy, and chemicals had found the weakest point they could to try and escape from. And that point had happened to be the shuttle's oxygen-scrubbers. Now having a vent, the exhaust system rushed away from the shuttle craft, propelling the vessel away from the Black. But it had taken the majority of the shuttle's oxygen with it. Chewie had acted quickly, shutting off the oxygen-scrubbers, so what little air they had left inside the cabin wouldn't go leaking out into space. But their air was choked with smoke from earlier and quickly being replaced with carbon-dioxide as they breathed. There was no way that the team could survive long even if they made it through the crash. And if, by some miracle, they could hold their collective breaths and stagger towards the Falcon, there was no way they could do it while carrying Taivas's body.

Han risked a glance down at the unconscious Macskian. She had been thrown forward by the explosion, cracking her head on the control bunker as she fell. There hadn't been enough time to check if she was alive or dead. And right now, Han had other things that needed his attention.

So why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

_Because she saved us all…and I might have been the one who killed her. _

The shuttle slowly began to level out of its nosedive towards the moon. Han had finally been able to get the descent vector on a normal level, but he couldn't really maneuver the vessel well. Which meant that, though they may not now be plowing towards the surface of the moon to die in a fiery explosion, they were now drifting towards a small craft parked near the Falcon to die in a fiery explosion. Han had no idea who's ship it was, but it was about to get smushed beneath the bulkier shuttlecraft. He just prayed to whatever god just happened to be listening that somehow the shuttle had enough structural integrity to protect them.

DXVJKE

Anoia, Almighty and Benevolent Goddess of Things That Stick in Drawers, just happened to be listening. And being the Almighty and Benevolent Goddess of Things That Stick in Drawers, she maneuvered her vast control over the universe to make it so that a 3/17th's occipital left-leaning heterodyne wrench altered its position ever so slightly so as to jam itself between the back and the lid of the small drawer in lower right corner of the emergency tool cabinet in the back of the shuttle. No one would ever be able to open the drawer again.

Seated high above the astral plane, in the cloud-covered hall of Dunmanifestin, Anoia looked down upon her handiwork and smiled.

DXVJKE

The problem with pirates, mused Captain Jack Swallow, is that they are either fiendishly clever or hopelessly stupid. If the latter, they can be a very good sort of minion or thug who carries out orders to the letter and does what is told. If the former, they are very good at giving orders that can best lead to the greatest amount of money being got from the smallest amount of effort (and usually have dashing good looks, a propensity to drink large quantities of rum, and exquisite taste in hats). While in the normal course of piracy, having both kinds of pirates in a healthy balance is considered to be quite wonderful.

The problem comes when you have a given situation, say a large group of escaped prisoners loose in the airducts who then set fire to the main hangers, cut power to the rest of the ship, steal a shuttle, and fly away, and no one can present a good way to solve the problem. The hopelessly stupid pirates just stand around waiting for someone to give them an order and refuse to do anything. The fiendishly clever pirates don't see the possibility for profit and refuse to do anything.

So here was Jack Swallow, scourge of the Outer Rim, most feared pirate captain in the entire galaxy, with a dead ship crewed by a worthless bunch of gotch-eyed, wobbly-legged, rum-soaked pirates. He felt like hauling out a sword and banging away at something…or getting himself soddingly drunk and praying to whomever was listening to fix his bloody krething ship.

DXVJKE

Bilious, the Oh God of Hangovers, caught wind of Swallow's plan to drink himself into a stupor and was greatly angered at the thought of having to endure the after affects of some pathetic mortal's drinking binge. He stretched out his hand and was just about to smite Swallow for his impudence when the Oh God upchucked all over the cloud-covered hall of Dunmanifestin. Wiping vomit he did not earn from the corners of his mouth, Bilious reached out for an icepack and made a (painful) mental note to smite Swallow later.

DXVJKE

It was very muggy in the cave.

And echo-y.

And hard.

And apparently the cave was experiencing an earthquake because absolutely everything was shaking.

It was the shaking that woke her up. Parts of her brain were screaming at her to get out of the cave. Parts of her brain were screaming back that nothing was going to move anytime soon. One lone part protested that they were not in a cave at all but on a small shuttle careening down to explode on the surface of a moon, but no one wanted to listen to that part so it went off to have a sulk.

There were voices in the cave, but they were distorted by the walls, echoing in and out. The only clear sound that she could hear was a deep growling that was unintelligible. She wasn't exactly certain if it was the cave walls groaning in the earthquake or some monster poised to kill her.

Monster.

The word brought back a hundred thousand images in one red rush. Pirates. Cell-block. Leia. The cartographer. Airducts. The archeologist. Nyeri. Aerik. Matches. Han. Jones. Smoke. Fire. Coughing. Shuttles. Jones. Controls. Pirates. Back-doors. Hangers. Firemen.

Indiana.

The shuttle! Got to get back to the shuttle. Skirt the monsters. Slide in. Slam the door. Indy. The glass.

The monsters.

**foam**

_fear_

Exhaust Systems!

NO, HAN DON'T DO THAT!!

_**STOP!!!**_

Her eye snapped open and she gasped oxygen into her lungs, only to start hacking at the burning choking smoke that swirled through cockpit. Taivas struggled to focus in an oxygen deprived atmosphere, pinpointing the cave voices she heard earlier. Chewie was closest to her, half crawling half lying on the floor with wires and tools strewn about him. He was turned backwards yelling at someone in the back. Above and on her left, Taivas looked up to Han, who was also yelling, translating apparently, through blue lips as he tried to wrestle with the controls.

Taivas turned slowly to see Indy, Luke and Leia clustered in the back corner, alternately tugging and kicking and cursing a small drawer that did not want to come open. She turned back to Han and slowly began to stand so as to see the viewscreen.

"BRACE YOUR SELVES!" Han's voice hollered in her already throbbing ears and Taivas ducked back into a crash position, digging her claws into the floor-plating. She had only gotten a glimpse, and that was all she needed.

The shuttle was about to crash into the moon.

DXVJKE

When the explosion had forced the oxygen scrubbers away from the shuttle, it had torn out a sizeable portion of the shuttle's lower hull, including the heat plating, and left a gaping hole to the soft underbelly of the ship. This was, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most dangerous situations any pilot could find himself in. There was literally no protection between the cabin and the ground and, while this could be a problem in any landing situation, when the vessel is practically uncontrolled and about to crash on top of another vessel, there is no chance for survival.

The shuttle slammed into Taivas's ship with the force of a bullet train hitting a mountain side at full speed. But it came in at such an angle that the exhaust turrets snapped off before the shuttle actually hit the surface. The volatile force of crushing the vessel beneath them was now channeled back through the hole the original explosion and seeking the easiest way out. That way would have been through a weakened seam in the rear of the shuttle craft, had not a certain drawer been jammed shut with a 3/17th's occipital left-leaning heterodyne wrench. Now the pent up energy exploded out the rear of the shuttle, through the broken exhaust turrets, and rocketed the vessel forward and towards the Falcon.

DXVJKE

After the initial shock of realizing that A) he was alive, B) everyone else was alive and C) he was alive wore off, Han quickly came to the realization that they were still moving. Usually crashed ships stayed crashed and did not go careening off along their landing strips. Usually crashed ships remained exactly where they struck. And usually crashed ships didn't threaten his baby.

A few milliseconds after realizing that they weren't celestial street pizza, Han was once again frantically grappling with the controls to avert ramming into the Falcon. He needn't have bothered. The friction of the moon's surface that they were dragging along coupled with the very limited supply of energy channeled from the first collision served to stop a second collision from occurring long before Han even had the chance to blink.

The shuttle ground and screamed along the moon's surface, leaving a tortured trail of wreckage behind, and ever so gently bumped against the lower hanger of the Falcon. Had there been no protective shielding between the cockpit and the outside, Han could have quite literally reached out and hugged his ship. The other passengers, recovering from their crash positions, were moving slowly and silently towards the viewer.

"That...that's incredible," Leia breathed.

"Talk about deus ex machina**(1)**," Indy muttered. No one even looked askance at him, as all eyes were transfixed on the silvery grey hull sitting before them.

"So…" Han started. "Um…we could probably hold our breath and get into the Falcon…"

"How will you open the bay door?" Leia, ever the pragmatist, asked.

"Luke, you got your comlink for the droids?"

"No," the Jedi sighed. "They took it from me." His face drained of what little color he had left. "Along with my lightsaber!"

"No they didn't," Taivas, still seated on the floor, growled. "They didn't even take anything off this shuttle when they brought us up to the Black. The idiots." Five sets of eyes swiveled to her in amazement. (Elsewhere, in the leaf-covered halls of the Skund Forest, Topaxi, the God of Great Ideas that One Forgets to Write Down and Will Never Remember Again, laughed gleefully at the consequences of working his power on that poor, pathetic, pirate who was recently made responsible of cleaning out the shuttle craft and didn't keep in mind checking the weapon's locker.)

"How do you know that?" Han asked skeptically.

"Because all the stuff is inside this bunker. The one you're practically sitting on. The one I smacked my head against. And the one which is now partially open." She slid out of the way as people began rooting through the small container, extricating guns, bags, lightsabers, and other bits of stolen gear. Luke delightedly found his comlink and activated it.

"3PO? 3PO, do you copy?"

"_I'm here, Master Luke. And it is so good to hear your voice, sir. R2 and I were getting rather worried what with the earthquakes goin—"_ Han snatched the comlink away from Luke.

"3PO, this is Han. Open up the bay doors. Now."

"_I will do so immediately, General Solo. And please let me say that it is good to hear your voice too, sir."_

"Just open the doors." Han rolled his eyes at Luke, as the others let out quiet cheers at the doors opening.

"Right, so, deep breaths everyone."

DXVJKE

**(1) **_Just for anyone who doesn't have a fascination with the idiomatic roots of our fair language, deus ex machina (pronounced: DAY-us ECKS MAH-kuh-nuh) means, literally, god from a machine. It comes from ancient Grecian plays when the protagonist was in such a pickle, the author figured that the only way to rescue the hero was for one of the pantheon of gods to come floating down (usually done by attaching a statue of said god to a system of mechanical pulleys) and save the day. In literary circles, to employ deus ex machina means for an author to "magically" solve all the problems facing a hero in such an improbable way as to make it seem like divine intervention. Only in this case, there was actual divine intervention. Several times in fact. _

DXVJKE

Okay peoples, that's it for this chapter. It's shorter than what I wanted, but I needed to stop it here so the next one will flow well. I already have it outlined and partly written and I really, REALLY want to get it up by November 18th, which marks the third year anniversary of this story. THREE YEARS PEOPLE!!!! But more on that when I hit the anniversary chapter.  
For anyone who likes the "gods" in this chapter, they have been borrowed from Terry Pratchet's Discworld series. If you like my style of humor, Mr. Pratchet's is a bazillion times better. Discworld is a imaginary planet where the magic-reality ratio is far higher than on earth. So witches, wizards, demons, gods, goddesses, trolls, dwarfs, elfs, time-monks, werewolves, yetis, heroes, and anthropomorphic personifications all live comfortably together on the flat, disc-shaped world, as it is carried on the back of a giant turtle throughout the universe. Mr. Pratchet's books can be read in order of being written or randomly (half the fun is trying to figure out where this book came in the chronological order of Discworld). The best books center around Moist Van Lipwig, former con artist who was put in charge of Ank-Morpork's Royal Post Office and Royal Banking system, Sam Vimes, former Captain of the Night Watch of the city of Ank-Morpork, or Death, the compassionate and humanistic anthropomorphic personification of the act of dying. You will LOVE THESE BOOKS!!!!!!  
Okay, enough plugging. Got to jet. Please review people and come back on the 18th, I'll try to have the next chapter up by then. You people are the best reviewers in the business,  
Later,  
DarkX


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer:**  
_In truth, there is so little that I own,  
It seems a valiant mock'ry of the truth  
That ev'ry chapter I must here bemoan  
A beggar's claim of property, forsooth!  
I grasp the straws that are the fandom's right  
To take the thoughts of man and twist them so  
That all my chosen plans be brought to light  
And put them forth to all their graces show.  
No money do I in this venture make,  
(This story is, for me, a fount of joys  
That I, like God All-Sovéreign, could take  
These characters and use them as my toys.)  
But, for the lawyers whom this story find,  
Say: Nothing you might recognize is mine._

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:  
**AuroraandRosalieWannabe:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!!!! Yeah about that…lemme just say: hardest term of my life!!!!! (dies) ugg I swear teachers enjoy torturing students. Anywho, glad that you found the story (Indy says thanks for the whisky, btw) and I hope that you stick around.  
**Darth Hayt: **HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!!!! Thanks so much for reviewing and I'm glad that you are a fellow Discphile. Please stick around to the end!  
**Han-Skywalker**: YOU'RE BACK!!!!! (does happy dance) and you're a fellow Patient (does happy dance a second time). Yes I know that the fandom is called Whovians, but seriously, that sounds like something out of Dr. Suess, not Doctor Who. I'm petitioning to change the fandom to Patients (because we desperately need to see the Doctor), but anywho (no pun intended) I'm glad that you're back to the story. I have seriously missed seeing your name on the reviewer sheet. And just wait to see what I have in store for Taivas. Hee hee hee…I don't mind you sounding like a movie reviewer (I would love to see this turned into a movie…maybe…but I'm not sure if geezer!Indy can stand the stress of playing two roles at once…oh well)…and you will be happy to know that, once again, you have spurred me into posting the stupid chapter. I hate writer's block, but I do love getting nagged about finishing this story. Thanks for reviewing (both chapters!!!! Throws cookies) and do come back a little more often….  
**Isis the Sphinx:** I know, right? And please do, Discworld is amazing.  
**Khaur:** Yeah, because I really would just kill off the main characters without any closure for the story. Right. Although, if I ever get writers' block I may end up doing just that. Anywho, thanks for reviewing!  
**Noleriel: **HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!!!! Glad that you found the sotyr and I'm really glad that I'm one of your "favorites" (that makes me feel all warm and squishy in side; either that or my spine just melted….) thank you for the cookie (and for using my invented swear word, that makes me laugh) and I hope that you stick around to the end!  
**SageofAges729:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER!!!!! Glad that you found it. And I still haven't found a good explanation for how two Harrison Fords (be still my thundering heart) could exist in the same universe. So happy that you're a fellow GirlGenius comic fan and I'm really glad that you found the story and reviewed. Please stick around, we're thirteen chapters from the end of this shindig and I may be able to get it up before graduation (hopes). Thanks for reviewing.

**Chapter 37**

…**And He Sleeps in the Canyon…**

They had stumbled out of the deadened wreck of a shuttle and practically fell on the Falcon's floor, oxygen starved and gasping. Indy's lungs surged as soon as the pod bay doors repressurized and he lay on the metal floor, relieved just to be breathing again. He slowly raised himself up on his elbows, shaking mental fog from his mind, to look around. Leia and Han had been next to one-another for the entire run, now was no different. Han was checking on Leia, Chewbacca was next to both of them. Luke was on his knees, his breathing slow and deep. Taivas was between Indy and Luke, her ear still looking odd from the pieces she used to make the cartographer, and her eye half closed as she rested. Indy slid up back down onto the ground, satisfied that his people were okay, and was about to fall asleep when Han's voice broke the silence.

"Right, Chewie, let's go."

"Go where?" Leia demanded.

"Bridge. We gotta get out of here before the Black heals from Taivas's hamstringin' her."

"No, wait," Indy spoke up, sitting up entirely too fast for his still-sluggish head. "My bag and the tablets are still in the cave."

Heads whipped to face him and Han barked out: "WHY?!?"

"I thought Taivas was an ARC trooper, and I didn't want my stuff falling into the wrong hands."

"We gotta get out of here, Indy," Han protested.

"And it'll take me all of five minutes to get it," Indy replied, moving towards the oxygen masks. "I know exactly where it is."

"I'm coming too." Taivas gracefully slid off the floor and grabbed an oxygen canister.

"You, why?" Han demanded.

"Well, you kind of blew up my ship and if I want to survive after we leave I need the stuff I stashed in the cave."

"_We _leave?"

"Han," Leia cautioned.

"She can't come with us, Leigh," the pirate said, turning away from Taivas.

"Let me repeat myself," the Macskian clipped, "You. Blew. Up. My. Ship. And I saved your collective threktas back there so I'm pretty sure that you owe me—"

"I don't owe you nothing, lady."

"Han!" Leia snapped. "She's right and you know it. Taivas risked her life for us more than once. The least we can do is to get her to some port somewhere." Han looked sternly from the huffy cat-lady to his snippy girlfriend before glaring at Indy.

"Fine. Indy, you've got five minutes to get you gear. Chewie, let's get prepped." The pirate and the Wookie quickly left the hanger as Indy tossed an oxygen mask to Taivas.

The Macskian turned to Leia: "I still think we should have left him up there."

Leia rolled her eyes: "Just go."

The hanger door opened to the dead moon's surface with the entrance of the caves not a hundred feet off. Indy and Taivas practically raced down the cave's mouth, with the Macskian tearing open crates and the archeologist sliding behind a corner. Indy's torchlight bobbed and wove across the stone faces of the cave walls, as he searched for his bag. _It should be right…THERE!_ Half laughing beneath his oxygen mask, Indy snatched up the faded canvas bag and quickly rifled through its contents to make sure nothing was missing. He slung it across his shoulder and came back out to the cave's entrance to find Taivas amidst strewn boxes and gear.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Cloaking device," came the half-hearted reply as she flung big bulky packages and small square ones left, right and center.

"What's a cloaking—"

"HAH!" Taivas burst out, as she snagged a crate the size of a coffee table and hoisted it over her shoulder. "Got it, let's go before that prig goes and leaves us."

Indy shook off his shock at how strong she was and replied: "Han's not a prig. Headstrong, temperamental, reckless, and doggedly loyal, yes, but he's not a prig."

"What are you, his brother?" Taivas began marching back towards the Falcon. "Is that why you two look the same?"

"He's not my brother and I have no idea why there's such close resemblance. We're not even from the same planet, let alone the same gene pool."

"Yeah, about that, how does a guy from a silent planet dreck off one of the most notorious pirates in the galaxy?"

"That's…that's a long story…" Indy trailed off as they walked up into the Falcon's hanger.

"Well if Leia can convince the headstrong, temperamental, reckless, loyal, prig for me to stay, I might have the time to hear about it."

Indy smiled: "Let's find a place for you to put that."

DXVJKE

"I put Taivas in one of the spare rooms," Indy said, flopping on the couch in the living room. "Hope you don't mind." Han looked over from the computer terminal and shrugged. The Falcon had safely departed from the moon and slipped beyond the Black's grasp, Han taking full advantage of Taivas' sabotage. He was doing long-range sensor sweeps to make sure that no one was following behind them and or waiting up ahead to trap them.

"Is she asleep?" Luke asked.

Indy shrugged: "Don't know. But she seemed pretty bushed, so I guess so."

"Good, because we really need to discuss what we're going to do with her."

"I don't see why you're making such a big deal about this," Leia said.

"We're on a mission, Leigh. The fate of the galaxy—"

"Oh yeah the fate of the galaxy," Han snapped. "I'm worried about the fate of us!"

"What?" Leia asked.

"That cat-lady-cyborg-thing is a hacker, thief, a fighter, a smuggler, strong enough to lift Chewie ten feet up in the air, and ruthless enough to leave us behind. Do you have any idea how dangerous she is to us?"

"But she didn't leave us behind, Han," Leia protested. "She got all of us out of there and risked her life to save us, why would she do that?"

"Maybe to save her own skin? She was just as desperate as the rest of us to get off the Black."

"She could have called up her own ship at anytime and left. She didn't. I don't think she's a threat to us."

"But she could be a threat to what we're doing," Luke cautioned. "We don't know who she is. She's a smuggler and a hacker and a thief, yes, and that means that she could be dealing in information. If she sells us out to Nyeri or anyone else, everything we've worked for, the New Republic, it could all be in jeopardy."

"But we don't know that," Leia said.

"No, Leigh we don't," Luke replied, leaning forward. "We don't know anything for certain, but I don't know Taivas as well as I know you and I can't be as certain about her as I can be about you."

"So what, we just dump her?"

"Yes," Han said, immediately. "We get her out of here as fast as we possibly can."

"But—"

"Leigh," Luke said as gently as possible, "I know that you like her and I'm grateful to her for saving our lives, but we've got to stay focused on the mission. Taivas is a threat to us and we have to drop her off at the first star base we can." Leia looked between Han and Luke like she was searching for some loophole. She never got her chance to state her case as Chewie's voice howled over the intercom and Han quickly stood to go to the bridge. Luke smiled at his sister and stood up. "It'll be okay. I promise. We'll get Taivas to the nearest port and she'll be fine."

"Where are you going?" Leia demanded as he started towards the door.

"Meditate."

Indy had remained silent through the entire debate. He was more focused on unwrapping and copying out the new tablet than stating his position, but, now that the argument had been effectively terminated, he caught Leia's eye.

"Think you can give me a hand with this?"

Leia sighed heavily, but she moved over to the table and slid in next to the archeologist. "Do _you_ think we should just dump Taivas off?"

"I don't think I'm qualified to make that decision," he answered, offering her the tablet.

"Why not?"

Indy shrugged: "I'm not exactly a native out here. I don't understand all the politics behind it and I don't know who we're supposed to trust and who we're supposed to avoid. I mean, besides the ARC troopers, of course."

Leia smiled: "I just…I don't see her as much of a threat. But Luke and Han… I don't know."

"You don't know whether to trust them or trust your own judgment."

"Yeah. I mean, I love Han and Force knows he's gotten us out of so many different situations. And Luke's a Jedi. They're supposed to provide counsel to the Senate. But what am I supposed to do when the two people that I trust the most are…" she trailed off.

"Wrong?" Indy supplied.

"But I don't know if they are or not. They have some really, REALLY valid points…but I _trust_ Taivas."

"Why, exactly?"

Leia was silent for a few minutes as if wrestling with something and Indy began to wonder if he touched on a sensitive subject. "Sorry, I…I haven't really talked to anyone about this but…I can see things that aren't really there."

"See things?" Indy said, trying so hard to keep the incredulous tone out of his voice.

"I know, it sounds crazy but…sometimes when I'm looking at a person I don't really see the person, I see this…this shiny, glowy, colorful, creature. And it's different with every single person. Like…do you remember when we were on Soduka? In the caves?"

Indy thought back to that day: the volcano, finding a fireman's pole carved into a shaft going down the mountain, Luke going crazy and trying to kill them, Reighyn, the traps and passages and that ridiculously long tunnel they had to go through to get out.

"When Luke had that personality shift and attacked us," Leia continued, "That was the first time I saw the creatures. They were all different, different colors, different animals, but every time I looked at a new one, I had this feeling of absolute security. Like nothing was going to happen. But when I looked at Luke that day…" she trailed off, closing her eyes. Indy sat patiently for her to continue. "Luke had this flaming red snake wrapped around him, that's what was making him act so weird and when I saw that snake…I have never been so afraid in all my life."

"I get like that when I look at _any_ snake," Indy replied, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm serious. It freaked me out. And I keep seeing that stuff."

"You see freaky red snakes?"

"No, I see people's…Reighyn called them the spiritual energy inside a person. Like the Force or a soul. And it's more frequent than it was in the past. I'll turn the corner, come in on the rest of you sitting out here and instead of seeing you and Luke and Han and Chewie, I see a blue wolf, a glowing hippogriff, a green wolf, and an orange tiger-bear-thing. It takes me a good twenty seconds to see the actual people again."

"I'm a blue wolf?"

"Dark blue, yeah. In fact if it weren't for the color, I wouldn't be able to tell you apart from Han." She laughed softly before continuing. "It happens around Taivas too."

"What's she?"

"Usually, a black cat with a red splotch on its throat, but it changes every time I look at it."

"Changes how?"

"Size mostly. Sometimes the cat is huge and looks like a panther other times it's really tiny. Also, the red splotch grows and shrinks. But anytime I look at her, I get that same emotional calm as when I look at Luke or Han or you or Chewie. It's the same for all of you."

"And that's why you think we should keep Taivas on?"

"Yes."

"Huh." Silence reighned as Indy digested all this. Contrary to popular belief, mysticism was not his forte. Oh sure he knew practically every ancient legend and story about relics of great and unimaginable power, and, yes, he had seen evidence that the Ark of the Covenant melted half a battalion of Nazis; he'd been controlled by glowing stones of Hindu power; and he drank from the Holy Grail, but to tell the truth, he didn't really believe in any of it. Shaking his head, he looked over at Leia and nodded at the tablets: "Ready to start on the riddle?"

DXVJKE

"Luke?"

The Jedi's eyes snapped open as his name was called. He had been meditating in his room for the last hour, trying to calm his thoughts. Ever since he had first taken a stand against Taivas staying, he had felt a growing uneasiness in his stomach, and hoped that centering himself in the Force would be able to help. He still was uneasy, but he was staring into the spectral image of his old mentor, and that brought an immediate sense of comfort.

"Ben."

"You seem perturbed," Obi-Wan commented, seating his ghostly form in a chair opposite Luke.

"This mission just keeps getting harder and more complicated."

"I never said it was going to be easy. Following the will of the Living Force rarely is. Now, tell me, what's on your mind."

"Leia's really adamant on keeping Taivas here with us and part of me says that that's the most dangerous path for us to take. But another part of me agrees with her and I don't know what to do."

"Well, then it seems that I've come at a most opportune moment," Obi-Wan chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, leaning forward.

"Taivas must stay with you."

"Why? She's a…she's a pirate and a smuggler and a thief."

"So is your friend Han."

"But she—"

"Luke, listen to me: You cannot judge a person based on their job description. You know very little of the lady, as I knew very little of Captain Solo when we first met, but he became an invaluable ally and friend to you and so may Taivas."

"May? You mean you don't know?"

"Just because I have become one with the Living Force does not mean that I am omniscient. As I told you once, not even Master Yoda can see all ends of what may occur. But my heart tells me that Taivas has some part yet to play, for good or ill, before this is over. She needs to remain with you until you reach the Valley."

"But she could betray us."

"As Han could have and probably would have had not his mettle proved true. Sometimes living this life means taking a leap, not knowing if you will step onto solid ground or fall to your ruin."

Luke dropped his head in his hands: "I don't think that I'm cut out for this, Ben."

A bluish wave past through Luke's shoulder: "You're wrong."

DXVJKE

"Right, so, I've plotted a course that'll take us to the nearest starbase where we can send the cat-lady on her merry way." Han made this announcement to the general public (which consisted of Indy, Leia, a holo-chess set, a stone tablet, a computer terminal, and the remainders of the chicken-goo Han once made which was now developing sentience) before flopping down on the couch. "Don't everyone thank me all at once."

"I don't think it's a good idea," Leia said, looking up from her translation. "I think Taivas needs to stay with us."

"I agree," Luke said, striding in.

Han turned sharply to face the Jedi: "Now just hold on there, five minutes ago you were all for getting rid of her."

"That was before I talked with Ben."

Indy leaned over to Leia and asked in a whisper: "Who's Ben?"

"Later," came the reply.

"And what he said that she needs to stay so she stays?" Han asked, ignoring his girlfriend and the archeologist.

"More like we need to take her to the Valley with us."

"Are. You. Out of your _**MIND**_?!?" Han bit out. "We have no idea who she is other than she's a smuggler and a thief and a hacker and—"

"And so were you when Ben and I met you in Mos Eisley."

"Yeah and all you wanted from me was passage from Tatooine to Alderaan. You didn't drag me off to save the world."

"Technically they did," Leia piped up from the corner.

"Beside the point," Han snapped back.

"Yes, Han, because the point is that Taivas needs to come with us."

"Come with you where?" the Oxfordian accent broke in from the doorway. Heads swiveled towards the orange and olive Macskian and Leia beckoned her over.

"Have a seat, Taivas, we need to talk."

DXVJKE

"Alright, let me get this straight: a princess, pirate, a Wookie, a Jedi and two droids travel halfway across the galaxy to convince an archeologist from a silent planet to help them save the universe by running around finding clues to the location of a nexus of trans-dimensional power before an ruthless, heartless, egotistical, ARC Troop commanding, Sith lord gets his hands on said nexus and uses it to resurrect the Empire. Correct?"

"Wow, she's really good at that," Indy whispered to Leia.

"Are you people out of your freaking minds?" Taivas had sat silently through the entire explanation and only now was exploding in pent up astonishment. "I mean, seriously, this is madness."

"I agree," Han said. "So if you want to leave, you're more than welcome to and—"

"Who said I was leaving, handsome?" she asked, instantly switching from raging psychopath to a keenly interested lady. "I mean, you're rather fun people and I've never seen a nexus of trans-dimensional power before."

"But you just said that it was madness," Han protested, a little bewildered by the switch.

"I'm Macskian, dear. Madness is what we do best."

"So, you're in?" Indy asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good," Leia enthused. "'Cause we have the next riddle ready." She cleared her throat before beginning:

"_Return now to my windy world and upwards walk Sirocco's path.  
_"_Unlock my secrets hidden there, or face my everlasting wrath.  
_"_A simple constant is the key, three clues given, enough to show  
_"_The answer to my mystery: The final clue. Take it and go."_

Luke looked up: "Seriously, we're reaching the end?"

"Looks that way," Indy replied.

"Oh, that's no fun," Taivas pouted.

"Why?" Leia asked.

"Well, the five of you have been able to go gallivanting off across the galaxy on one grand adventure after another and I only get to be in on this for the last bit."

"Believe me," Han commented dryly, "It has been anything except a grand adventure. So, where to?"

"I think that's kind of obvious," Indy said, "Returning to a windy world and walking Sirocco's path are pretty plain. We're going back to Soduka."

DXVJKE

The reddish brown planet still orbited its sun in a slow dance through the cosmos. As the Millenium Falcon neared Soduka, the reddish haze clarified into golden, sulfur-laden clouds that blanketed the surface beneath. Han and Indy had been sitting in the cockpit for the flight, talking about the most random subjects (mostly centering on girlfriends and alcohol), and generally enjoying the fact that this quest was almost over.

"Whadaya think it'll be like? Going home?" Indy asked after a silence.

"Don't know. Never really had a home to speak of. Other than the Falcon and I never leave her. Why?"

"Guess I'm just worried about how different my life is going to be, knowing that we're not alone."

"You'll live. And you'll adapt. 'Sthe great thing about being human."

"Yeah, but…" Indy trailed off as Chewie came in, groaning about something.

Han swiveled around: "Well, just reconfigure it with the CPU and we'll take it from there."

"You know I still don't speak Wookie," Indy piped up, after the giant wandered off in a huff.

Han rolled his eyes: "He just said that trying to hook Taivas' cloak up to the main engines is being a duce of a problem."

"What is a cloak, anyhow?"

"It takes the regular light waves that we use to see and bends them around an object. The light can't reflect off the object so, essentially, it's invisible."

Indy shook his head: "If we had that kind of technology…"

"Be happy that you don't. When we were fighting off the Empire, they could cloak star destroyers, which're about a thousand times bigger than the Falcon, but we could still figure out where they were by the way the TIE-Fighters circled around them. But if they could have found a way to cloak a small ship, like a TIE-Fighter, then an entire battle fleet could sneak up on us. The Rebellion would have been in ruins."

"Why can't a small ship use a cloak?"

"Power drain. Bending light ain't easy and you need massive engines to create enough power to cloak a ship. You also need specialized energy vents to send the cloak out and around the vessel's normal shields. That creates an even bigger power drain 'cause you have to keep two currents running simultaneously. A little ship doesn't have big enough engines to both cloak and move, so they have to stay visible."

"Then wouldn't the Falcon…?"

"Nah, and that's the beauty of it. What Taivas has is a self-contained cloak. It creates its own power so you don't really have to draw any power off the main engines to make it work. What it does is it connects to the engines and flows through the energy shielding ports. It essentially piggy-backs on the shielding currents, which removes the problems of installing extra vents and having two currents running at once. This kind of cloak could revolutionize the galaxy."

"So now we can go anywhere without being seen?"

"If Chewie gets it hooked up."

"What do we do in the meantime?"

"Land, hopefully," Leia cut in from behind them. "Seriously, how long are we just going to sit here in orbit?"

"I was waiting for Chewie to get done," Han replied, swiveling to face her.

"But why? It's not like we _need_ it. The Sodukans are perfectly amiable to us."

"It's not _them_ that I'm worried about."

"Who then?"

Han looked at her carefully: "When was the last time that we ran into the Sith?"

Leia and Indy exchanged glances. "He's long gone, Han," Leia said, soothingly. "None of the ARCs have been near us since Indy got shot."

"All the more reason to be cautious. He knows we've been here, what if he's got the planet under surveillance?"

"You don't know that for sure."

"And I'm not taking any chances. We're one clue away from finding the Valley. If the Sith catches up with us now, we might not have the chance to stop him."

"Uh, Han?" Indy spoke up. "Isn't it a little late to be worried about Carron watching the planet? Since we're already in orbit?"

"The Sith always waits until we've done the dirty work before he swoops in to secure the clue. That's why I want the cloak in place for when we leave this planet."

"So ask Chewie to stay on board and finish hooking up the cloak while we go talk to Reighyn," suggested Leia.

"It'd save us time," Indy added, "And, if there is a spy out there, it'll keep him from investigating why we're just sitting here."

Han sighed: "I'm getting the feeling that no one pays attention to anything I say anymore."

DXVJKE

The Falcon landed on the platforms as before, but rather than the group heading out to find the Sodukans, Luke suggested that they wait in one place and let the Sodukans come to them. Indy was using this time to carefully categorize all his notes that he had gathered, trying to see if there were any clues within clues that they had overlooked. Han and Leia had left the Falcon a few hours earlier to go watch the sunset; Luke was meditating; Chewie was still down in the engine (now with help from the droids) trying to finish connecting the cloak to the main engines. Taivas, until recently, had been assisting him to the best of her abilities, but she had become so confused with the ridiculous amounts of jury-rigging that Han had done to his ship that she had soon given up and joined Indy in the living area.

"So, explain to me again why you're lugging all these rocks about the galaxy?"

"The clues are only written on one side of the stone. The other side has what we believe to be a map to the Valley carved into it."

"Believe? You're not certain?"

"You can never be certain until you translate it. You have no idea how many pieces of ancient carvings were thought to be the key to unlocking some long forgotten society and it ends up being some schmoe's grocery list.

"Is this some schmoe's grocery list?"

"Doubt it. We have pretty reliable evidence that the original finders of the Valley created coded maps on how to get there and put them on the clues that lead from one piece to the next. One was the position of the planet, relative to the galaxy. One was the position of the Valley relative to the planet. And one was how to navigate through the Valley to find the focal point of the Force."

"So what's on the fourth set?"

"Fourth?"

"There are four different kinds of stone, but you only listed three kinds of maps."

"Oh, right. Well—"

"Indy! Taivas!" Luke rushed into the living area, grinning like a tom-cat. "Reighyn's here, come on!" Indy practically dropped what he was doing, snagged his journal and rushed out the door with Taivas hard on his heels.

"Who's Reighyn?" she asked, catching up with Indy.

"Kind of the leader of the Sodukans, we met him the last time that we were here and he seemed eager to help us again if we needed him."

"The Sodukans, they're the bird people, correct?" They both slowed as they neared the open hanger.

"See for yourself." Indy hung back just a fraction of a second to allow Taivas the chance to walk forward first. He watched her intently, trying to gauge her reaction to the small group of Sodukans standing at the edge of the platform, until a familiar voice pulled his attention away.

"Hello my friend Indiana. I am so very glad to be seeing you again, that I am." The tall, grey-brown, Sodukan stepped forward from the group, laughter glinting in his gold eyes.

"Hello, Reighyn," Indy returned. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."

The laughing eyes boiled over to a laughing voice as Reighyn countered: "Ah, yes, well with Maceina's puzzles, you always come home twice, that you do." His attention turned to Taivas, who had been watching this interchange silently. "And who is your new friend, I am wondering?"

"Oh, right, Reighyn this is Taivas," Indy said by way of introduction. "She helped us out of some trouble a few days back and expressed an interest in helping us find the Valley." Reighyn's golden eyes widened and narrowed on Taivas as they had the first time that Indy had met the Sodukan, and Indy wondered if Taivas was now experiencing the same sensation of being seen right through. She expressed no outward emotion, but Indy saw her weight shift ever so slightly in response to the piercing gaze, which abruptly ended with Reighyn's half-bow.

"You are most welcome here, Taivas, that you are, especially in the company of these," he gestured to the others. "Now, what has brought you back to my world, I am wondering?"

Indy grinned: "Well, Maceina left us another puzzle."

DXVJKE

Okay kids, that's chapter 37. Thirteen more to go before the end of this saga. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and continues to reviews and a special shoutout to the wonderful new reviewers who have been throwing their two cents in, all you people are far more wonderful than this poor dispicable writer who tortures you with ridiculously long breaks between chapters.  
Now, on to mor disappointments. I am about to hit the second term of my senior year which means two things are absolutely certain: 1) I will have no time and 2) the deadline for getting this thing done is fast approcahing. I have no idea how long it will be before the next chapter but I am going to try and finish this whole thing by June 1st. If i can, all well and good, but if I can't, I may end up using Khaur's advice and kill off the entire cast. No, please, don't stone me yet, just pray that this term is not as horrid as i think it's going to be and i'll try my darndest to keep cranking out chapters. In any case, i hope that you had a wonderful holliday season and are looking forward to a bright and wonderful new year. Please drop me a review as a belated Christmas present and I'll start working on the next chapter.  
Later dudes,  
DarkX


	38. Chapter 38

****************

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The end.

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:

**3LWOOD: **HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Thanks for reviewing and please stick around.  
**AuroraandRosalieWannabe:** NO, I won't blow up the cast. They're too much fun messing with. (Evil grin) Thanks for reviewing. **  
Asuka-Was-Here:**HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! I'm glad that you're enjoying my writing and that you'll be coming back when I (every decade or so) post a new chapter. I do try to keep the characters in character and only take small liberties with them (Luke's anger, Chewie's annoyance, etc.). Now for Leia's name: When I spell her name Leigh (pronounced LAY) It's like a nickname, shortening her full name to the first syllable. A lot of people have comented about this and I'm pretty sure I wrote a few notes about her nickname, but whatever. Hope that that's helped. You will REALLY enjoy this chapter, I think, and though your idea about the Sphinx is very entertaining, that's an adventure for another time. Please keep reading and welcome aboard.  
**Dm1**: Well, Han's just a pessimist. It happens after having to run for your life for the years he spent pirating. Hope you're enjoying it.  
**Han-Skywalker**: HAN-SKYWALKER! Sith, I've missed you. No, don't agree with Han, agree with Ben. Like Gollum, Taivas has a purpose at the end. And I'm not going to kill everybody off, that would be SO not cannon.  
**Htewing:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Thanks so much and keep reading.  
**Isis the Sphinx:** BINGO ON LEIA! Yes, her force ability is to read people, but she hasn't developed it enough to read them the way Jedi do. So her ability has manifested itself in a different way. And just keep reading the chapters.**  
Kenobigirlliz: **HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Thanks so much and I'm glad that you enjoy my work!  
**Khaur:** Yes and no. Leia is seeing the spirit energy of people (Chi, Chakra, life force, whateveryouwanttocallit) and she has begun to read it to figure out whether or not to trust them  
**Not Elven:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! Thanks for the happy thoughts!  
**SageofAges729:** I have NO intention whatsoever to kill of the cast. That is such a copout. You just have to wait two years for every update. Discworld is MUCH fun and I highly enjoy it. Another series that I just got done reading is "The Thief" by Megan Whalen Turner. GREAT STORY! It has a twist at the end that will make you read the entire book over again. Thanks for reviewing.  
**Smenzer: **She is a WONDERFUL cat and yes, they're trusting her now. All very good questions and I hope to answer some of them soon.  
**StormieSkywalker:**  
**Super Tinfoil Man Part 2**: Hi buddy. Missed seeing your face around here. No, I'm not going to do some lame: and they lived happily ever after the end thing just so I can quit. It may take a REALLY long time for me to get to the end, but I will get there, I promise.  
**Twisterblake**: Thanks for reviewing.

**ZephyrFiction: ****HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! And, yes I do. Thanks for coming and I do not fear your minions….I have weirdness of my own to protect me! HAH! Still, keep reading. **

**AN:**

**Chapter 38**

**The Last Clue**

"I am thinking that this is rather straightforward, yes?" Reighyn asked after Leia had completed reciting the clue.

"And that's what worries me," Indy replied. "So far every clue we've ever gotten has had hidden meanings and traps and clues within clues. Something this…this _obvious_ has me worried about what Maceina's done to make the last clue difficult to get."

"She is a master at being crafty, that she is," Reighyn agreed, smiling. "But you have done well this far, that you have. I am thinking that you will not be easily deterred so close to the end."

"We would be honored if you would come with us, Reighyn," Leia said.

The Sodukan's eyes laughed: "I would be coming even if you had not offered, that I would. When will we be leaving for the mountain, I am wondering?"

"Well, that's the thing," Han said. "We kinda need to know where we're going before we start."

"But Maceina says it," Indy replied: "_Upward walk Sirocco's path_, that means we go back to the mountain."

"I know that! I want to know which end of the mountain to land. Cause I sure as hell ain't gonna climb that rock a third time!"

"I don't think that'll be a problem, Han," Leia said, gently maneuvering her boyfriend to calm down. "The clue says we walk _up_ it. Last time we were going _down_ inside the mountain."

"Start where we ended, we must, and go back through the tunnel, I am thinking," Reighyn commented.

DXVJKE

The Falcon circled slowly down towards the base of Sirocco, the sulfuric clouds pulling back to reveal the red tinted rock beneath them. Taivas watched the mountain base pull upwards towards them from a port viewer in the hanger. Having most of her gear attached via various body parts, she didn't have to pack as much as the other crewmembers did. She felt the bump of landing as Han set his baby down as gently as he could on the rock face. The engines whined down and soon the pirate was with the rest of the group, grabbing and attaching gear.

"We're going back up through the tunnel, yes?" Reighyn asked.

"Yup," Han answered through his gas-mask. "There's a pretty solid plateau coming out from the entrance that the Falcon's resting on. Not too far of a walk."

Han's prediction proved true, but once they were in the tunnel, it seemed to go on and on and on forever. Luke led the way with Leia right at his heels in case he started hearing drums again. Han was behind her, doggedly, with Chewie behind him. Taivas was sandwiched between the wookie and the archeologist with Reighyn at the rear so his wings wouldn't get stepped on, he said (everyone else thought that it was claustrophobia). For hours they plodded on in the darkness with only Luke's torch beam lighting the tunnel up ahead. Taivas's eyepiece could easily switch to viewing in infared, so the light wasn't an issue. What was was all the breathing. It echoed in the cave something horribly and her sensitive ears picked up every exhale, inhale, heartbeat, sniffle, cough, wheeze, or quiet muttering. At first it was a welcome break from the silence of the tunnel, then it just got plain annoying and it took all her willpower not to silence that breathing once and for all.

Still they kept moving.

And moving.

And moving.

In the darkness of the tunnel: nothing in front and nothing behind. Just endless walking through an endless tunnel in an endless space of time with no changes, no talking, no variation, no complete silence, and no stopping. That is, until Taivas ran into Chewbacca.

"Kreth!" she hissed as Indy ran face first into her. "Watch it big foot. You almost stepped on my tail."

"Sorry," Indy muttered. "Luke! Why'd we stop?"

"There's an air current," the Jedi replied. "I think we're coming close to that hole we dropped through."

Indy thought for a moment. "But that makes no sense. We would be starting where we ended last time and there was nothing else in that room."

"I say we keep going," Han piped up. "At least that room would be something different."

They kept walking, Luke following the air current (or so Taivas supposed) until she, again, ran into Chewbacca.

"Now what?" She demanded of the darkness enshrouded Jedi.

"The air stopped." Came the reply.

"We must have walked under the tunnel, that we did," Reighyn suggested.

"Nah," said Han, "I've had Chewie searching the top of the tunnel ever since Luke felt the air. We haven't gotten that far."

"So what? A side seam?" Indy asked. He immediately began feeling the walls. The others followed suit and they slowly backed out of the tunnel until Reighyn shouted in triumph.

"Here! Here my friends, here there is a crack, that there is." The others sorted themselves out until Luke could shine the torch on the crack. It was six feet high and barely eight inches wide, jagged and uneven, more like a fissure rent by unbelievable forces than an actual door.

"Whadayathink, Luke?" Han asked. "Looks like a dead end to me."

"No, there's something in there," Luke replied. "See, my light is catching on something metallic."

"Could be a geode or something."

"Let's check it out," Luke said firmly.

"You will need to do it alone, that you will," Reighyn said, softly. "I cannot fit through that little crack, that I cannot." Luke looked at the crack and sighed.

"I don't think I can fit in either."

"I can try," Leia said, pushing forward. She snatched the torch from her brother and wiggled her way into the crack. Han tried to follow, only to get his thigh wedged in one of the crevices.

"Give it up, Han," Indy whispered to him. "This is your girl's moment to shine."

"I'm through," Leia said through the crack. "There's a HUGE cavern on the other side. It's gotta be at least sixty across and a hundred down."

"Down?" Luke asked, anxiously.

"Yeah, it's like a huge cylinder. There's a thin ledge that runs all around and then it drops straight down. That metal thing you saw is this big spire in the middle of the room. It's just above my head and it comes straight up from the floor. There's another spire that comes down from the ceiling. Whoa! Actually, there are a lot of spires, like really skinny stalactites. They're all metal."

"Can you see any clues? Any way to get over there? Any writing? Anything at all?" Indy bombarded here with questions.

"Hold on a second." She paused. "I can't see anything…Wait! There's a bridge over to one side. It connects the wall to the center spire. I'll try to walk across it and see what's on the spire."

"No! Wait! Leia!" Luke barked. But no answer came. The others waited in absolute silence, holding their collective breaths, waiting for her to return.

Then came the scream.

DXVJKE

"Your Jägenkov has been on one planet for an unusually long time, my lord. Should we send in additional troops?"

"No. She has not signaled me yet. We will wait."

"But my lord, she is already out from your control. She could possibly not contact you."

"Are you suggesting that she double cross me? No, Taivas is uncontrollable, but she is not reckless. She would not dare dissert me. And besides, I have other means of tracking them."

DXVJKE

"LEIA!" Four voices hollered through the crack. Only one person actually went through. Squiggling through the narrow passage, Taivas slid out onto the ledge and quickly scanned the cavern for the princess. Her eyepiece's infrared sensors detected Leia hanging by her fingertips from the cavern ledge a quarter of the way around the room. Taivas sprinted to the figure, grabbed her wrist and yanked her back up onto the ledge.

"Are you alright?" The Macskian demanded.

"My arms hurt, but I think I'm okay."

"What happened?"

"The bridge gave out from under me. Old ropes I guess."

"There has to be another way over there," Taivas mused, looking at the spire. "Too far to jump, nothing to latch onto…"

"Taivas, don't be ridiculous, you—"

"LEIA! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Han's voice bellowed around the room.

"I'm fine, Han!" she yelled back. "We're trying to get to the spire."

"What happened?"

"I slipped, that's all. No problems." Leia glared up at Taivas as if to demand that she not tell Han the truth.

"I think I can swing across using those spires up there," Taivas finally said.

"How are you going to get to them?"

Taivas slowly slid back her razor sharp claws and dug them into the wall. She climbed to the level of the spires and wedged her hind paws between them. Slowly she inched her way across the abyss, listening to Leia relate her doings to the group on the other side of the wall. She got to the main stalactite that hung from the ceiling and slowly slid down it until she was above a little platform that balanced on the spire.

"What do you see?" Leia called across.

"Nine figures," she called back. "The top line has a bird, a staff, and a sun. The middle row has a diagonal gash from top right to lower left, a vertical gash, and another diagonal gash going from top left to lower right. The bottom has a square, a circle and a triangle."

Leia related this to the men across the room as Taivas stared at the rock carvings. She heard soft mumblings but even her sensitive ears couldn't hear exactly what they're saying.

"Reighyn says that the bird is the symbol for their people, the staff is a sign of power, and the sun is Maceina's name symbol. We think that means that she carved this tablet."

"Great. What about the others?"

More grumblings followed by: "The gashes are ancient numbers: 3, 1 and 4. And we have no idea about shapes."

Taivas thought for a moment. Her claws had a good grip in the stalactite, so she wasn't going anywhere soon. "Could you read the clue again?" she finally asked.

There was a pause as Leia reached deep into the crack. She pulled back a small object (_probably Indy's journal, _Taivas thought) and read in a clear voice:

"_Return now to my windy world and upwards walk Sirocco's path. _

"_Unlock my secrets hidden there, or face my everlasting wrath. _

"_A simple constant is the key, three clues given, enough to show _

"_The answer to my mystery: The final clue. Take it and go."_

"Right," Taivas said, "So we have a simple constant and three clues. I'm guessing that the clues are the shapes, the lines and the figures. But what's the constant?" her voice echoed across the cavern only to be met with a long silence. There was a slight tinge in her biceps, she was starting to get tired. She began rearranging her weight on the stalactite when a voice shot out across the gorge.

"PIE!"

"Pie?" Taivas repeated. "What does pastry have to do with anything?"

"Indy says that there's an equation on earth called pie." Leia explained from the rim. "It has to do with the circumference and radii of circles. And it's a constant through the entire galaxy. Maceina's already used it in one of her puzzles. The first three numbers of it are 314."

"Which are already on the table here."

"Right."

"So how do I show pie? Is there a universal symbol for it or something?"

A pause and more mutterings before Leia called out: "Indy asks if there's a circle amongst the shapes."

"Yes, there is. And the inside of it is sandy. Hold on a sec." Taivas dug a claw into the sand and drew a straight line from the center of the circle to one edge of it. There was a cracking sound and the table split and fell off the spire. Underneath was a circular disk of stone that the table had been balancing on. Taivas gingerly picked it up and, holding it in her teeth, worked her way back across the pit and to the team on the other side.

DXVJKE

"Well that was easy," Han said as they got back onto the Falcon. Indy had the tablet and was already sketching the markings on it, listening to the banter of the others.

"Says you," Taivas barked back. "You're not the one who had to work her way across a ceiling full of sharp metal spiky bits only to hang for a good twenty minutes over a hundred and twenty foot drop into who knows what at the bottom."

"I only meant that the puzzle was easy. Usually the 'clues' are a lot harder than that."

"Maybe it was a physical challenge as well as a mental one, I am thinking," Reighyn said. "One had to be both clever and limber to get that last clue, that one did." Indy looked up to see a small smirk pass the Macskian's face.

"Um…well, I guess that I'll get us back to the platform before I go and put my foot in my mouth again." Han stalked out of the living area as Leia slid next to Indy.

"How's it coming?"

"This is the dustiest one yet. I guess it's all that sand that Taivas dug through, it's clogged up all the crevices. But look at this." Indy moved aside the polishing cloth to show a round sapphire, dime sized but bright and clear blue. He gently pried it out of the rock and held it up to the light.

Leia gasped. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, we've got ourselves quite a little treasure trove going here."

"What do you mean?" Taivas asked, her attention piqued by the stone.

"On two of the other clues we got an emerald and a ruby. Different sizes, but all perfect stones." He gently unwrapped the other gems from a piece of oil cloth. A green emerald the size of a quarter, the silver dollar shaped red ruby, and the tiny blue sapphire. The stones glinted in the ship's light, but Indy was intently studying Taivas's face.

"They're beautiful," she said at last. Indy could see only admiration in her eyes. "But what are they for?"

"I think they go with the maps somehow but I'm not sure how." Indy began to unwrap the tablets, setting them out on the floor. Two white pieces of granite, two black pieces of granite, two grey pieces of granite, and three large circular pieces that didn't seem to be of any rock that Indy had ever seen before. He gingerly flipped the white, black, and grey pieces over so that the strange markings could be seen. The white slabs fit together with their strange swirls and points. There was point that was deeper than the others, with a small dime sized hole dug out of it, that sat on the very edge of the white slab. Indy gently took the sapphire out and fit it into the small cup. The jewel fit flush and sparkled blue against the white.

"It looks like a star map," Taivas said, looking over the white stones.

"Han said the same thing but he doesn't have a point of origin."

"Indy," Luke said, "There's another hole on the white. Here. It's bigger." He pointed to the opposite edge of the map where a large cup sat. "Hand me the ruby will you?" Luke slid the ruby into the cup, which, like the sapphire, sat flush with the stone face.

"Is there one for the emerald?" Taivas asked.

"No, no other deep ones." Luke replied.

"Alright, let's think," Indy sighed. "The archives said that they made three maps: one to show the valley's position on its planet, one to show the planet's position in the galaxy, and one to decode the other two maps. We agree that the white stones are the starmap. So that leaves the black stones and the grey stones for either the valley's map or the code. Both sets of stones have markings that could a topological map for the valley. So there has to be some characteristic of one map or the other that we're not seeing."

"And where does the emerald fit into all this?" Taivas asked. "If the ruby and sapphire marked, say, stars on this map, could the emerald have a similar purpose on one of the others?"

"It could," Indy agreed. "Luke, look over the black map and Taivas you help me with the grey one. Look for any divots that the emerald could fit in." It took Luke barely five seconds to find the cup on the black map. He gently slid the emerald into its cradle, which rested in the exact center of the black map, where the two sides came together.

"Okay, so if the black map is the valley map, then the grey must be the code."

"Wonderful," Taivas said. "Now what?"

"You could listen to the next clue," Leia suggested from the table. "I got it translated while the rest of you were working on that."

"Oh great," Indy grinned and grabbed his journal. "Go for it."

"_I see a blue jewel set in black, alone, unwanted, unhindered, untouched. I watch it in its cosmic dance of one of nine of one and one around my jewel. My jewel pulses in its dance, can no one hear her quiet voice? Can no one see her breathe and grow? Can no one know that here! here is the doorway, here is the focal point, here, though unwanted, my jewel is sought by all."_

"Well, that sounds vaguely drug induced," Taivas sneered. "Especially seeming how the blue jewel is set in the white stone, not black."

"No, no, no, no," Luke disagreed. "Corban's talking about the planet with the valley on it. The doorway, the focal point, that's the valley. And the jewel being sought, that's us going on this quest."

"So if the blue jewel is the planet we're going towards," Indy started, pointing at the sapphire on the map, "Then what's the red jewel?"

"If it's on the star map," Taivas said, "Then it could be a red giant star, or a red planet, or a red nebula. There are a lot of red things in space."

"So it would have to be significant to the quest," Luke said. "Did we go anywhere red?"

"Tatooine's red," Leia commented.

"Not from space," Indy countered. "It's kinda yellow. And so is Soduka. Dagobah was green, Corescant's, um, silvery. So is that moon. Did we go anywhere else?" No one answered as everyone thought.

"What if it's not a planet," Taivas suggested. "What if it's a star? Were there any red stars?"

"I don't remember," Indy said honestly. He looked at the others, "You guys remember?"

"No," Leia sighed, "Han's kinda the only one who pays attention to that sort of thing."

"HAN!" Indy shouted. "Why isn't he in here? Here we are talking about stars and maps and the one person who actually knows something about it isn't here. HAN! HA— Oh there you are."

"Yes, here I am." The pirate sauntered into the living area. "Someone had to get us back to the platform and escort Reighyn back to his people and get the Falcon up into the atmosphere while the rest of you were playing with your rocks."

"Reighyn left?" Luke said sharply, looking around. "We didn't even say goodbye."

"Oh but he did, a lot." Han rolled his eyes. "I never thought that guy would shutup. He made me promise up down and sideways that I would come back and tell them what happened when we got to the valley and I still had to push him out the bay doors."

"You should have said something," Leia berated. "I wanted to say goodbye to him."

"Well, it's a little late. Now, whadayawant?"

Indy moved the conversation forward before it broke into a fight. "Have we come in contact with any red stars during the hunt?"

"Uh, yeah we just left one."

"Soduka has a red star?"

"No, the moon with the grave. Where I almost crashed us and the pirates almost destroyed my baby? That moon? That moon orbits a red giant star."

"That was the first location of the first clue," Leia said.

"That makes sense," Luke agreed. "The first place we go to and the last place we go to."

"You mean you've got a location for me?" Han asked.

"We think so." Indy pointed to the white map. "If that ruby marks the red giant with the moon, do you think you can figure out where the sapphire is? Cause we think that that's the location of the valley."

"Lemme scan it into the nav computer," Han gingerly picked up the pieces. "Luke, gimme a hand with this." The Jedi obliged, helping to carry the white map towards the cockpit.

"Indy," Leia said, "I think I have the code-breaker decoded." She pointed to the edges of the grey stones. "The words were printed on the edges, not in the middle."

"You're brilliant, Leigh, you know that? What's it say?"

"Red is first. Blue is last. Green is where you want to be. Cold mountains hide the valley. Trust your instincts. May the Force be with you."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Not much to go on."

"Maybe we should look at the other clue," Taivas said. "This whole one of nine of one bit has been sticking in my brain since Leia read it. What does that mean?"

"One of nine of one and one around my jewel," Indy read from his journal. "Well, it's talking about the planet that the valley's on. One of nine could be like a set. One planet out of nine planets, maybe."

"Nine of one?" Taivas asked.

"Nine planets to the system?" Leia hazarded.

"And the one around my jewel? That can't be a system around a planet, that makes no sense."

"What goes around planets?" Indy mused.

"Atmospheres," Taivas supplied.

"Satellites," said Leia.

Taivas snapped her paws together: "A moon. One planet out of nine planets in one system and one moon around the planet we're looking for."

"Well, that helps narrow it down. Not many planets only have one moon," Leia said.

"They have to," Indy said disbelievingly. "Earth has one and we're a backwater little planet, according to some people." He winked at Taivas, who grinned in return.

"Then Earth's one of the few," Leia insisted. "I could name on one hand the planets in the galaxy that have only one moon."

"Prove it,"

"FINE! For starter's there's—"

"Indy!" Luke burst into the room. "You won't believe what planet the blue jewel marks."

DXVJKE

Well, lets see it took...One year and seven months for me to get this puppy up? Yeah, well, before you all start hurling rotten fruit at me, I do have a good reason. Graduated from college, got a job, got engaged, got married. Life=crazy. The end.  
Not sure when the next chapter will appear. It could be another year or more but I will NOT leave it as a cliffhanger. I will NOT hang a "To be continued" sign on it. And I will NOT kill all the cast members. Happy? Good.  
Cookies to all the people who thought that the valley was on Earth. Good job to you all. Now, where on Earth is the Valley of the Jedi. I'll give you a hint. It's somewhere Indy's never been. Hope you all have a great summer. Cookies for reveiwers.  
Later,  
DarkX


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I don't own Luke. I don't own Leia. I don't own Indy. I don't own Han. I don't own Chewbacca. I don't own R2D2. I don't own C3PO. I don't own Marcus Brody. I don't own Marshall College. I don't own a 1937 Black Buick. I don't own WWII. I don't own anything Star Wars related. I don't own anything Indiana Jones related. I DO OWN TAIVAS! And that is all.

Notes to the oh so faithful reviewers:

**AnbuWinterSnow:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWER! So glad that you like all my characters. I have a special place in my heart for dear old Captain Jack. Glad that you like him too.  
**Astra-The-Goddess:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWERS! Thanks for the review and yes Earth has some weird aliens. Just wait until they get a load of Chewie.  
**Dm1**: First off, Pluto is still a planet. The. End. How else could My Very Eccentric Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas happen? Hmmmmm? ;-) In other news, DING DING DING you are correct about Russia. But not the White Mountains. Thanks for the Congrats. Life is good!  
**Htewing:** Glad to make you so happy. And thanks for the Congrats. Life is good!  
**Kenobigirlliz: **Thanks for the review, yes, finally a chapter! And Yes, I will finish this! W00t!Yes to Asia, and you'll find out where very soon!  
**Princessofthescoundrels:** HUZZAH FOR NEW REVIEWERS! Thanks so much for reviewing and I'm glad that you're enjoying it!  
**SwordMasterZ:** No to Tibet and no to Antarctica (Too bloody cold). You'll find out where soon enough.  
**ZephyrFiction:** Sorry to disappoint, but I don't see Nazi V Stormtroopers in this. Unless I can change something pretty drastically, no other Nazis will come into this pic. Sorry. Please keep Reading and reviewing, though, please!

AN:********

******************Chapter 39**

******************Homeward Bound**

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Indy sat there staring at Luke. The idea that the Jedi has just spouted was incomprehensible to him. "You mean to say that _your_ valley of the Jedi is on MY Earth?"

"But where else could it be?" Luke protested sharply. "The nav computer gave us those coordinates based on the position of Isosis's star."

"And you yourself just said that Earth fits the riddle," Taivas put in.

"Besides, Indy," Leia added. "It makes sense. Where else would you hide something this dangerous except on a planet nobody's interested in?"

"That's just it!" the arechologist cried. "If anyone finds out about this place, then Earth'll be the new center of the galaxy. We've got enough problems of our own without storm troopers and sith lords and all that tramping through and flooding the place."

"If we find it we can hide it again," Luke said, trying to soothe Indy. Not that it worked. Indy was acting more and more like Han when a proposed mission threatened the Falcon.

"Yeah, cause that worked so well the last time," Indy retorted.

"But it did work," Leia said. "When the Jedi hid the valley, it stayed hidden for over three thousand years. Thousands have looked for it and you're the first person to even come close to finding it."

"And if you're any sampling of your species," Taivas commented, "In another three thousand years, you people will be more than capable of fending off the whole krething galaxy." Indy stared down at the finished map and sighed. They were right and he knew it. The clues made sense. The maps were right. And the more he stared at the slabs of black granite, the more he realized what the topological graph represented, what continent it looked like. The valley was on Earth, and he knew exactly where they were to start looking.

"Alright, let's go find it so we can hide it again."

DXVJKE

"Coming out of hyperspace, now." Indy moved towards Han in the the cockpit and slid into Chewie's empty chair. The wookie and the Macskian were down in the engine room fine tuning Taivas's cloaking device so it would give them cover on earth. With all the tensions building in Europe, the last thing they needed was to go swooping around in a spaceship for all to see.

Indy was almost dumbstruck by what he saw on the viewer. When he had first left Earth, the sight of space had awed him. Now, after living out here for four months, it was the sight of his planet that made him gasp. Corban's description was spot on: the Earth hung like a little blue jewel in the black velvet vastness of space. She looked so small, so peaceful, and so very, very quiet. A fresh wave of homesickness broke over the archeologist and he was, finally, happy to be coming home.

"So where we going?" Han asked, abruptly interrupting Indy's meditation.

"Oh, right. We need to go to my place and pick up a few things."

"Great. Where is your place?" In reply, Indy pulled up the nav computer and began tapping at the screen to bring up the northeastern corner of the northwestern continent. He isolated his little corner of the world and transferred the coordinates to Han.

"That place looks pretty populated," Han commented. "You got any quite places we can land?"

Indy grinned: "Yeah, I know just the place."

DXVJKE

Marcus Brody slowly walked down the corridor of the archeology department inside Marshal College. He hated what he had to do; it was an act of such blatant finality, so hopeless, like putting the last nail in a friend's coffin. _ I wish I had the coffin_, he thought sadly. _Then at least I could say goodbye_.

He gently unlocked the doorknob he had been staring at, slowly opening the door. The innards of the office he was intruding upon had once been filled with such happy memories. So many artifacts, each one painstakingly drawn from the far reaches of the world. Each one had a story of his good friend almost not coming back. _Indiana…_ he sighed. _I wish I could hear your voice one last time, my friend. _

"Marcus?"

"Yes, that would be good. Just like that."

"Marcus, what are you doing in my office?"

The older man whipped around to see the scruffy face of his long lost friend. "Ind…Indiana? Good Lord, is that really you?" His eyes trailed down: same fedora, same jacket, whip, pistol, bag, boots, yes all there.

"Course it's me, Marcus," Indy paused. "Don't tell me you were going to clear out my office."

"Well, you were gone for so long…we feared the worse."

"So long? I'm only a few weeks overdue. That's never been a problem in the past."

"You've never been gone for ten months before. And not a word, not a telegram or even a blinking postcard. We listed you missing in action and then the board—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. Did you say ten months? _Ten?_ That's impossible. I left in early June, that was four months ago."

"I wish it were. Today is March 18th, 1940, Indiana."

"But how is that possible?"

"Uh, that's kinda complicated," came a voice from the doorway. Marcus turned and nearly had a heart attack. There in the doorway stood a second Indiana! Though dressed differently, it was his face, voice, everything.

"He…He…You…" Marcus stuttered, causing Indiana to look over at the door.

"Oh, them. Marcus, these are my friends: Han, Luke and Leia." Luke quietly closed the door after they entered to give them some privacy.

"But you…he…you…"

"Yeah, I have no idea why he looks like me. Weird isn't it?" Indiana stalked through his office and then rounded on the still shocked board director. "How could I have been gone for ten months?"

"Simple," Han answered. "Time travels slower on planets than in space itself. It's called the theory of relativity."

"I've never even heard of it."

"Well it's—"

"Complicated," Leia cut in, shoving her elbow just hard enough into Han's stomach to prove her point. "You'll find out about it soon enough.

"Indy, we're running out of time," Luke said, galvanizing the archeologist into action.

"Right, Marcus, how much does the museum have on Russian tribal history?"

"What?" Marcus tore his eyes off of Indy's doppelganger to face the original. "Surely you're not leaving already."

"Got to. Unfinished business."

"But you just got back. What if you get killed this time?"

"Calm down, this is me, remember?"

"Yes, that's what I'm afraid of. What with the war and all you going out—"

"Wait, what…what war?"

"What war? The world war, that's what war. Good heaven's, what rock have you been hiding under? Hitler invaded Poland last September. I was sure that you had been caught in the crossfire."

"Hitler invaded? And we're fighting?"

"Yes! Well, no, not the United States, but everywhere else certainly is. He's already gotten to Paris, Belgium, Czechoslovakia; Austria and Italy have sided with him and Japan is fighting China and the Philippines!"

"What are they talking about?" Han whispered to Leia.

"I have no idea, but it sounds pretty bad."

"What about Russia?" Indy asked.

"The Soviet Union?" Marcus repeated. "They've managed to stay mostly out of the war. Hitler gave them parts of Poland and Yugoslavia in return for their neutrality. I've heard that they're arming their southeastern block to defend against Japan, but other than that, they're out of war."

"Good." Indy got up and began to paw through his immense collection of books. He grabbed them in what looked like a random pattern: three from one case, two from another, two from a third. He began shoving them into a bag when he froze and wheeled around.

"Marcus! You didn't clean out my house, did you?"

"Of course not, we couldn't find your will."

"I'm not dead, Marcus."

"Oh, I can see that. But when one certain archeologist has a way of not calling home every once in a while…certain assumptions can be made."

"Then unmake them," Indy stated, as he opened a drawer to grab two white boxes and a black briefcase from underneath a table. "Marcus, I need two favors."

"Of course, anything…within reason…"

"Keys to your car and I need you to gather everything you've got on Siberia, especially a good map of the Verkhoyansk Mountain range."

DXVJKE

Outside the college, Indy led the way to a black 1937 Buick and moved quickly around it to the driver's side. Leia, Indy and Han moved behind him, looking around at the small houses, streets, trees, and cars. Indy yanked open the car door and slid inside, jamming the key into the ignition before realizing that no one else was getting in. He popped his head back out.

"Uh, guys? Any year here."

"What is this?" Luke asked skeptically.

"It's called a car," Indy replied with a bite of sarcasm in his voice. "This is how we travel on little backwater planets."

"Indy," Leia said smoothly, trying to calm the already agitated archeologist down, "We've never seen one of these before and I for one have no idea how to open it."

Indy exhaled deeply: "You're right, sorry. On the side of the door there's silver handle with a button towards one end. Grab the handle and press the button with your thumb while you pull outward." They followed his instructions and got seated. Han looked over his shoulder at the Falcon, or where the Falcon should be, perched on the roof of Marshall College.

"Are you sure no one's gonna find her up there?" He asked.

"The only people who go up on the roof are the astronomy department and they only go at night on another part of the campus." Indy answered, driving them away from campus and towards his neighborhood. "She'll be fine." The car slid up a tree lined street to a small, one story house. Indy pulled the car into the driveway and jumped out. He scooted up to the bushes that guarded his front porch and bent beneath them. Key in hand, he opened the door and ushered everyone inside.

Leia barely saw the archeologist disappear into the house as she turned, mesmerized, into the living room. Artifacts, collectibles, memorabilia, and pictures lined every shelf, every table, every thing in sight except the bookshelves. The books! Leia gasped at the extensive collection. One shelf of these alone could make someone a billionaire if they were sold at an art auction. Paper books were a rarity and some of these had colored pictures. She gently pulled one off the shelf: _Li Hauz Livres du Graal_ and was about to open it when Indy burst back into the room. He dumped three tomes on the coffee table and opened a fourth one.

"Right, Marcus lent me this, which is a collection of all the folklore we have from the tribal peoples of north eastern Russia."

"Why there?" Han demanded. Leia put the book back on the shelf and came to join the group.

"If you look at the black map, the topographical lines that denote mountains and valleys track with the ones of the east-Asian continent." Indy dug through the bag he brought from the museum to pull out an atlas. He flipped through to find a map of Eastern Russia and the Indo-Chinese peninsula. The manatee shaped continent held the ridges of the Himalayans, the curving depths of the Indian Ocean, and the cold arches of the Arctic Circle. In the middle was a short mountain range labeled the Verkhoyansk. Three pairs of eyes ran from the atlas to the black stone map. The green jewel was right where this small Russian range was. Indy grinned triumphantly: "_That's_ where the Valley is."

"Okay, that makes sense," Luke said. "But why do you need tribal folklore?"

"If the Valley is there, then the Jedi had to do a hell of a lot of work to bury it. I'm betting that somebody, somewhere, got a glimpse of what they were doing and if they recorded it, it'll give us a better clue as to the Valley's location."

"But we don't need that," Han said. "Luke here'll just hone in on it like on Soduka."

"I don't think I can," Luke confessed. "I've been reaching out for the Valley since we landed and I can't sense it at all."

"How is that possible?" Leia asked.

"I don't know. It's like the Force doesn't exist here. I can't feel it at all."

Indy jerked his head up: "I thought it was omnipresent."

"It IS, or it should be." The Jedi shook his head. "I don't know."

"Well, let's just solve one mystery at a time," Leia said, rubbing her brother's arm. "Can we help you search, Indy?"

"I don't think so. I already have an idea of what we're looking at." He flipped through one of the books with an abandon Leia almost gasped at. "My old archeology professor was a man named Abner Ravenwood. He and I spent a long time looking for an artifact called the Ark of the Covenant and he thought that there was solid evidence it could be in the mountains of Nepal, here." He tapped the map. "While Abner was in Nepal he collected as much mountain lore as he could about the nomads who passed through. He was hoping to gain a wider range of knowledge to help him with his search. I'm hoping to comb through what he collected to help us with our search." Indy gestured at the four books. "This is everything Abner collected. Look through it with an eye for any nomadic tribes that come from Siberia, particularly the Yenents, or the Nenents."

"So we're just supposed to read about these people?" Han quipped.

"Yes, and look for any record of their gods doing anything near mountains."

DXVJKE

Luke didn't like reading. He had other things to do. To think. To worry about. Like why he couldn't feel the Force. Was there something on this planet that kept him from being able to connect with that energy? Had Nyeri somehow blocked his power? Was that even possible? And even if he could still connect to the force, what was he going to do with the Valley? He had promised Indy he would hide it again. But how do you hide a billion year old nexus of unlimited power? And what would keep someone else from finding it? What if he couldn't hide it again? What if Nyeri got to it first? Luke shook his head and heaved a sigh. _Ben, if you're listening, help me. I don't know what to do here._

Han didn't like reading. He had other things to do. To think. To worry about. Like what the hell to do with the Falcon. Having it perched on the top of a building on some backwater little world seemed like a good idea until he realized just how backwater this little world was. If any of these people got a hold of his baby, they would strip her for parts and there would be nothing that he could do about it except hide. And there was a war going on. Planetary war wasn't so unheard of in the New Republic, there were civil wars going on all the time. But the way that old guy in the college made it seem, this war was brewing for a long time and it would take a long time to get over it. What was he supposed to do? And more importantly, how was he going to keep Leia out of this. Han shook his head and heaved a sigh. _This whole situation sucks._

Leia liked reading, except when there were other things to do. To think about. To worry about. Like why her brother couldn't tap into the force, what to do with the Falcon, how to explain the presence of a half robotic cat and a giant walking carpet and two small droids to a bunch of backwards, undeveloped, highly explosive humans. And there was a war going on. So many different nations that Mr. Brody had rattled off back at Marshall College. Were they going into the thick of it? Would there be some way to get the Valley sealed off before any of the combatants discovered its existence? Leia shook her head and heaved a sigh. _I want to go home_.

Indy was engrossed in his reading, flipping through Ravenwood's journal at a lightening pace. He knew that he had come across some mention of the Russian tribal gods coming to earth. Abner had thought that this could have been some Ark reference, but it hadn't panned out. The Ark's resting place was definitely in Egypt, as Indy had proved earlier, but the story could have some merit now. He kept searching.

And searching

And searching

And found it.

"HAH!" he barked, making Leia jump nearly out of her skin. "Found them."

"Who?" Luke asked.

"Your Jedi." Indy tapped the book. The others put aside their journals and leaned forward. "Abner got a story from a descendant of the Yukagir tribe of eastern Siberia, near the mountains that we're interested in. The people have a story about four of their gods coming to Earth in the mountains and asking for help in sealing up a hole in the cosmos by which evil spirits can enter Earth."

"Evil spirits?" Han asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The Yukagir are shamanistic and deify a great deal of nature. Evil spirits can be a great harm to them, their hunting patterns and what little crops they have. In any case, the tribe was very eager to help the gods and followed them to the Verkhoyansk Mountains. They were led to the foot of the Great Mountain where there was a glowing crack. The gods asked the people to keep watch at the mountain to make sure no one went in and nothing came out. The people waited eight days and then the gods came out and demonstrated their divine powers by covering the crack with a weight of stone. They gave the tribe's shaman a stone that would keep the hole closed for ever and then turned to leave. Just before they departed, one of the gods told the shaman that another god would come many, many years later to unlock the hole. He said the shaman would have to decide whether this god would use the hole for good or for evil and that if the sealing stone was taken by force, the hole would destroy itself."

"That sounds like a weird story," Han said.

"How do we know that it's what we're after?" Leia asked.

"Because the tribe was very, very careful to preserve the gods' names: Belobog, Czernobog, Zir, and Sirrin.

"Sirrin is a woman with the wings and body of an eagle."

Leia breathed: "Maceina."

DXVJKE

So, now we know the location. And, just because you are such good reviewers who review EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER I PUT UP, I'm doing a double posting! Everybody party!

Later  
~DarkX


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: Seeith Thou this work which I hath so painfully wrought? Seeith its words, black as ink on electronic parchment pale as the freshly fallen snow? Seeith the characters which lie herein, who so vailently strive for honor and justice in a world gone mad?

Taint nuno it b'longs t'me.

**_AUTHORS NOTE: THIS IS THE SECOND IN A DOUBLE UPDATE. YOU MUST READ CHAPTER 39 BEFORE THIS ONE. GO DO IT NOW, WE SHALL WAIT FOR YOU. SERIOUSLY. GO READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER. I'LL WAIT. *WAITS* ... *WAITS SOME MORE* ... *CHECKS WATCH* M'KAY, YOU BACK? YES? GOOD. NOW WE CAN BEGIN._**

**********Chapter 40**

**********It Starts With One**

Snnkt!

Ssshhhhhhhhnnnnt.

"_I know you're bored, Taivas. I know you hate being here, you hate working with the others, you hate having to follow orders, and you really hate me."_

Snnkt!

Ssshhhhhhhhnnnnt

"_Do me this one small favor, and I will consider the debt you owe me paid in full."_

Snnkt! Claws out.

Ssshhhhhhhhnnnnt Claws in.

"_Take whatever ship you want, _

Snnkt!

Ssshhhhhhhhnnnnt

"_Whatever gear you want, _

Claws out.

Claws in.

"_Contact me if you want to, when you want to, _

Snnkt!

Ssshhhhhhhhnnnnt

"_But tell me when it's over."_

Snnkt!

"Tell him when it's over?" Taivas whispered in the dark of her quarters. "Why the hell should I tell _him_ anything?"

DXVJKE

"You summoned, My Lord?" The underling was nervous, Carron could tell.

"Does the command bridge have the new coordinates?"

"Yes, My Lord."

"Good." Carron closed his eyes. He reached out through the Force to the near future, sensing that the end of this silly little escapade was at hand. "Tell the bridge to move us there immediately."

"Yes, My Lord." The underling turned to leave when the Sith's sharp voice rang out.

"And tell Aerik to ready his team."

DXVJKE

"I got the documents you wanted, Indiana," Marcus said, handing the archeologist a thick sheaf of papers and books. The group had returned to Marshall College, much to Han's delight, to find the older scholar still in Indy's office.

"Thanks Marcus," Indy grinned, sticking some books back on the shelf and leafing through what his friend had given him. "This'll really help."

"Help with what?" Marcus asked, moving closer to the archeologist.

Indy looked up: "I wish I could tell you…"

"Then tell me! Indiana, you have been gone for almost a year without a word only to pop up, scare me half to death and tell me that you're leaving again? You can't do this to an old man like me."

"You sound like my father."

"And if he were here he'd say the same thing! Don't you know that there's a war on?"

"There'll be a bigger war if I don't go!"

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Indy sighed. He was aware that Han, Luke and Leia were watching him intently; gauging how well this other human reacted. He slowly sank onto the corner of his desk. "Marcus, I have been places and seen things that could only be described as…something right out of legend. You heard about what the Ark did to Belloq, about the stones in India; hell you _saw_ how the Grail healed Dad, but you've got to believe me when I say that all of that, everything I've done, pales in comparison to what I _have_ to do in Siberia. There are powers at play you can't even imagine."

"Then show me."

"What?"

"I want to come with you," the older man said.

"Marcus, I'm trying to tell you that you _can't_. It's too dangerous."

"Which is precisely why I want to come. I can't bear the thought of you off for another year without any word or hint or even hope that you're still alive. You can't do that to me, Indiana, not again. I'm coming with you…or else."

"Or else what?" Indy almost growled, rising from the desk. Marcus took a half step back from the growing rage of the younger man, then set his jaw and stood his ground.

"Or else, I'm telling your father."

Indy barked out a laugh. "You'll—You'll tell my dad? Really, Marcus? Dad's half way around the world happily lecturing about Grail Lore…" he turned towards the window, sighing, before he looked back. "I can't have you come with us, Marcus. And I'm not going to belittle you by saying this is for your own good. But, for all the times I've helped the Museum, the College; for all the times you've helped Dad, for everything, please Marcus, you've gotta trust me and just let me walk outta here."

The museum director's eyes softened. "Oh, Indiana…you're going to be the death of me, but, yes, I do trust you and…you're probably right." He straightened up. "Yes, of course, I'm being silly. Old man like me in Siberia? Ha! I nearly died in Egypt and that was with Sallah and everyone else helping out. I have no idea what put that thought in my head. Me, traipsing around Russia like some foolish archeology student with something to prove. Oh, I am too old for this. You go." He clapped Indy on the shoulder, and then pulled him close in a steel grasp. "But if you don't come back in three weeks, I am going to find Marion and THEN! Then, there will be hell to pay, Indiana Jones."

Indy grinned: "Funny you should mention her…"

DXVJKE

_Han should install a Zogger on his ship_, Taivas mused as she paced inside her quarters. _If I don't get something to do soon, I think I'll go and arm wrestle that Wookie_. She snarled ice-white teeth in a laugh, the image of trying to pin Chewbacca like he was Sk'th or Aerik…her smile faded. _Oh, Aerik_… Taivas shook her head to drive away those traitorous thoughts and slid out the door. The drive to DO something was almost overwhelming. Wrestling Chewie didn't seem like such an outlandish idea.

She wandered through the corridors of the Falcon, looking for her other inmates. _This is the fundamental reason why Silent Planets are no fun. Can't go there. Can't make a scene. Can't cause a problem. Oh, no. Can't mess up their natural evolution. My eye. All it boils down to is that the Republic doesn't want to share its technology. HAH! As if it were that great to begin with. And where the HELL is Indy and the others? They've been gone forever!_ And as if the galactic powers heard her silent plea, the bay doors opened and in strolled Indy, Luke, Han and Leia, all talking at once.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FORCE-DAMNED—"

"You KNOW we can't take the risk of—"

"Indy, you should have talked to us about—"

"The only person on this planet—"

"—No krethin' WAY I'm gonna show MY baby—"

"—To an uninitiated world! There will—"

"—Be another way to get the infor—"

"—There IS no other way—"

"—ON THIS FORCE FORSAKEN BACKWAH—"

SCREECH! Taivas slowly drew her claws down a support beam. Four pairs of eyes snapped on her, their conversations momentarily halted and Taivas used the moment to insert: "What ARE you people yammering about?"

"Indy wants to take us—"

"—Expose my Falcon for some bimb—"

"—Won't listen to a peaceful solu—"

"—She's the only expert out there—"

"—and—NO! NO DON'T DO THAT!" As the Macskian's claws moved towards the support beam again.

"One at a time, please," she clipped out.

Han forced his way through the group to flop on the couch. "Indy wants to take us to see one of his old girlfriends, hoping that she'll show us how to get to the Valley."

"Marion's lived in that area for years," Indy cut in. "She knows every tribe and trader for a thousand miles around where we want to go. She's the only shot we've got."

"Right, and in the meantime you've got to explain what you're looking for and why you want it," Han retorted. "Which means exposing MY ship to this backwater little planet."

Indy's eyes hardened: "This isn't my fault! I never even wanted you people to _come_ here!"

"Indy, calm down," Leia started.

"CALM DOWN? Are you out of your damn mind? Don't you think I know the dangers of exposing you to _anyone_? If the Nazi's get a hold of this kind of technology with a war on…"

"What?" Han asked.

"Well it'd make the problems of your Republic look tiny."

"I find that hard to believe," Leia grumbled.

"You've never faced a mad man."

"_You_ never met my father."

"Is all this bickering really necessary?" Taivas huffed. "We've got to find the Valley, yes? So we go and find it. And if this Marion person is the best option to get there, then let's go and talk to her."

"It's not that simple Taivas," Luke said, quietly. "Marion apparently lives in a fairly populated area. Talking to her in private will be…difficult, especially with a war on."

"Yes, about that, what war?"

"They're calling it World War II," Indy said.

"So it's only confined to this planet? Great. We arc high up into the outer atmosphere, drop down somewhere unpopulated, talk to her, and then leave. What's wrong with that?"

The humans exchanged glances. "Nothing," Han finally answered. "Nothing at all. I don't know why I was acting like that."

"I know," Leia agreed. "I was just…I don't know…irritable."

"I wonder if it's this planet," Luke mused.

"What do you mean?" Indy asked.

"I haven't been able to focus in the Force since we broke through the atmosphere. It's like it's not even there."

"How is that even possible? I thought you could feel the Force everywhere?"

"I don't know, Indy. Maybe Corban and the others put some kind of block up so no one could find the Valley through the Force alone. But it's really disconcerting."

"On the other hand, it means that Carron will be just as hobbled," Leia said.

"Shouldn't we be moving?" Taivas snipped, feeling nervous at Nyeri's name, and trying desperately to cover it.

"Yeah," Han answered, galvanized into action. He hit the comm button "Chewie, get up here to the bridge, we're moving out. Indy, I'll need you to navigate." The two men exited, leaving the Jedi, the princess, and the thief. Leia was looking curiously at Taivas until the Macskian was unnerved.

"Something on my face?"

"Oh, sorry. No, I'm just…woolgathering, I guess."

"Right…So what exactly did you find out?"

Luke sat at the table, pulling out the journal that Indy had brought from his house. "Well, listen to this…"

DXVJKE

The sky above the village was roiling with thick black storm clouds. Rumors of wars in neighboring China and the Soviet Union had most of the villagers anxious and turning to drink for solace. _Pheonix_ was hopping as a result. Crowds of people had gathered inside for food, alcohol, entertainment, gossip, trade, and just a chance to socialize before the war crept up here in the mountains of Nepal.

Marion was weaving through the tables balancing one tray of empty shot glasses with another tray of full ones, swearing at customers passed out on the floor (and in her way) and scanning the bar to make sure none of her patrons were trying to rip her off. The cold burst of air caused her to whip around toward the door to cuss out whatever fool was leaving the door open. And then she saw him.

"Gods damn it, Indiana, get the hell out of my bar!" She slammed both trays on the bar to emphasize her point. The less sober patrons focused on this new spectacle, the more sober ones began taking bets.

"Oh come on Marion, what kind of a greeting is that?"

"One you deserve, you slime ball. We go on this great, life changing adventure and then you up and leave me for some blond bimbo in India? Oh, yes I did hear about that. And the Nazi chick in Italy. And now you come waltzing back to me without so much of a postcard in the meantime? You lecherous son of a—"

"Marion, it's not like that, really," Indy cut in, moving through, and glancing around at, the crowd. "Can we go somewhere more private?"

She snorted: "Why? So you can leave me to some messed up Nazi creepo, again?"

"Hey, you told me to go."

"And now I'm telling you to go to hell." She turned to the break in the bar, yanking out bottles to refill orders.

"Marion," Indy sighed. "Look I know I left you and I'm sorry, but—"

Marion slammed the bottle on the table. "But nothing. You've burned me too many times, Indiana Jones, literally and figuratively. I've got nothing left that you can take, so why don't you just leave."

"Because I need your help."

Marion blinked. "The great archeologist adventurer needs MY help? I shall have to make a note in my diary."

"Cut it out, Marion. Are you going to be serious or not?"

"I am. I always have been." She moved closer to him and lowered her voice. "What do you need?"

Indy smiled: "What do you know about the old Yukagir ledgends?"

DXVJKE

"So all four of the original finders of the Valley were…god-i-fied?" Taivas asked.

"I think _deified_ is the right word," Leia commented, "And, yes. Indy says that there's evidence of them in these old legends and he wants to use the legends to find the exact location to the Valley."

"Why do you want to find it, anyways? I mean, do you want the power?"

"No," Luke said. "We need to find it so we can hide it, and hide it better. There's this Sith lord who's been following us at every turn. If we don't cover up the Valley, remove every clue to its existence, he'll find it and use its power to recreate the Empire."

"But if he's been following you, you're going to lead him right to it! And right to us!"

"We lost him a while back, Taivas," Leia soothed. "We haven't seen him or any sign of him at all for months. He's nowhere near here. There's nothing to worry about."

"And because we've been taking the clues with us as we go, no one can follow us to the Valley," Luke continued. "Once we get there, we can cover the Valley's entrance permanently. No one will ever find it, or use it, again."

"Why didn't they just do that in the first place?" Taivas wondered.

"I don't know," Luke answered. "I guess they had their reasons."

"Okay, so how does this Marion person fit into all of this?"

"Indy thinks she can—"

Han came storming out of the cockpit, pulling his blaster from its holster.

"Han? Han, what's wrong?" Leia demanded.

"Proximity alert. Someone's coming this way," He called over his shoulder as he moved towards the bay area.

"It's probably just Indy," Luke hollered.

"More than one person!" Came the echo. Leia stood, yanked a blaster from the armament and raced after him. Luke and Taivas exchanged glances before following.

DXVJKE

Who's Indy bringing? HMMMMM? (I think its obvious, but, then I think everything in my stories is obvious so what do I know?) Okay, a note of clarification for all of you Indy nerds who will go running to post a review that Marion stayed in New York after Raiders. YES I AM FULLY AWARE IF THAT! But, in this story, I am omnipotent. Therefore, I put Marion back in Nepal after Indy dumped her for the blonde bimbo. (I mean, really? He gives up Marion, a girl who has some spunk in her, who can kick butt with the rest of them for whatsherface the screamer who did nothing but scream and grab Shortround and scream and grab Indy and scream some more? Marion should have punched Indy when he walked back into her bar. Maybe I'll rewrite it so she does...sorry... End of rant.)

Another note of clarification: The problem with double posts is that it uses up ALL of my current material, so I may not post for a while. But, again, rest assured that I WILL END THIS! With and ENDING! Not a mass murder or a "To Be Continued" or a "Currently Suspended" but an actual ending. In fact I've already wrote the last chapter three times and I think it'll need another revision because my characters keep changing their schemes (Han starts all the madness...pirates, what can you do with them?) So, no idea when the next chapter will come. Stay tuned, though, we're in the home stretch.

Later  
~DarkX

PS: Thanks to everyone for the warm congratulations. Marriage rocks. Everyone should find their soul-mate and get married. It's wonderful. Okay, thats enough gush. I'm outta here.


End file.
